In the Garden of Beasts: Love, Terror, and an American Family in Hitler's Berlin by Erik Larson The Demolished Man by Alfred Bester Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys Time for the Stars by Robert A. Heinlein Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert A. Heinlein Every Thing On It by Shel Silverstein The Cheshire Cheese Cat: A Dickens of a Tale by Carmen Agra Deedy and Randall Wright Everybody Sees The Ants by A.S. King Loving, Living, Party Going by Henry Green The Mistress of Nothing by Kate Pullinger The Scrapbook of Frankie Pratt by Caroline Preston Pinkalicious by Victoria Kann and Elizabeth Kann Goldilicious by Victoria Kann and Elizabeth Kann Silverlicious by Victoria Kann Purplicious by Victoria Kann and Elizabeth Kann School Rules by Victoria Kann Pink Around the Rink by Victoria Kann Pinkie Promise by Victoria Kann Harold and the Purple Crayon by Crockett Johnson The Carrot Seed by Ruth Krauss Caps for Sale by Esphyr Slobodkina A Birthday for Cow by Jan Thomas The Little Mouse, The Red Ripe Strawberry, and the Big Hungry Bear by Don and Audrey Wood Bark, George by Jules Feiffer
Leftover Loot:
The American Heiress by Daisy Goodwin Rasco and the rats of NIMH by Jane Leslie Conly Dominic by William Steig The Deception at Lyme by Carrie Bebris Fire Watch by Connie Willis Only Time Will Tell by Jeffrey Archer The Healer's Apprentice by Melanie Dickerson From the Land of the Moon by Milena Agus; translated from the Italian by Ann Goldstein Company of Liars by Karen Maitland The Decameron by Giovanni Boccaccio; translated by Guido Waldman
Library Loot is a weekly event co-hosted by Claire and Marg that encourages bloggers to share the books they’ve checked out from the library. If you’d like to participate, just write up your post-feel free to steal the button-and link it using the Mr. Linky any time during the week. And of course check out what other participants are getting from their libraries.
(Babylon 5) The Shadow Within. Jeanne Cavelos. 1997. Random House (Dell) 260 pages.
Anna Sheridan rested her elbow on her desk and her chin on her nested fists, studying the artifact that lay before her.
Though it's not her fault, viewers never really get to know Anna Sheridan. When we meet John Sheridan in season two, when we meet the 'new' commander of Babylon 5, well, Anna's already dead. We see him grieving her. We see him very sad and feeling guilty--like in the episode "Revelations" and at times very, very, very angry. Like in the episode, "In the Shadow of Z'ha'dum."
The Shadow Within is set before season one, before the events of the pilot episode, "The Gathering." But even though it's set prior to the show, I would think it is one best read after seeing season two--at the very least "In The Shadow of Z'ha'dum." And for the full impact, you should wait until the oh-so-very-dramatic season three finale, "Z'ha'dum."
Read The Shadow Within
If you want to meet Anna Sheridan. If you want to get to know the woman John spent years of his life loving.
If you want to learn more about John Sheridan. If you want to see what he is like in action, as a commander of a ship. If you want to see him as a leader.
If you want to know more about Mr. Morden. If you are curious about WHY he is the way he is. (Viewers first meet Mr. Morden in "Signs and Portents" (season one).
If you are interested in the uncovering of alien artifacts and 'scientific' explorations.
If you are interested in learning more about HomeGuard and Psi Corps.
If you are interested in learning more about the Shadows
If you want to know more about Kosh and Delenn. (And who doesn't want to know more about Kosh?!)
If you've seen "Z'ha'dum" then it will provide you with a fuller understanding of the events leading up to that ever-dramatic finale. You'll see the how and why of it all. You'll know why that planet is so very dangerous.
If you haven't seen "Z'ha'dum" then it will still help you to understand more about the Shadows. It will help you see the tragic events all that much clearer. Knowing more about Anna--who she was in life and death--will help you connect more, perhaps. And maybe just maybe the same could be said for Mr. Morden as well. Though if you can find a way to sympathize with him--even after the novel--well, that's something that I couldn't do.
There is nothing within the novel itself that will spoil "Z'ha'dum" for you. So if you haven't seen season three yet, you can still read this one. But I think that you need to have at least seen *some* of the episodes of season two. You need to be a little familiar at least with the Shadows and Mr. Morden. And you need to have met John Sheridan and care about him.
I Want My Hat Back. Jon Klassen. 2011. Candlewick Press. 40 pages.
My hat is gone. I want it back.
I'll start by talking about my favorite of these three 'odd' books. Jon Klassen's I Want My Hat Back. In this quirky but delightful picture book, children are introduced to a bear who has lost his red, pointy hat. The bear is going from animal to animal asking everyone if they've seen his hat. It takes him a little while to find the culprit--perhaps readers will spot the culprit first!!!--but his hat will be found. Was justice served?! You be the judge.
Probably my favorite scene in this one is when Bear 'interrogates' the rabbit...and walks away. The text and illustrations show that the rabbit is obviously lying. But Bear isn't exactly observant.
Bear: Have you seen my hat? Rabbit: No. Why are you asking me. I haven't seen it. I haven't seen any hats anywhere. I would not steal a hat. Don't ask me any more questions. Bear: OK. Thank you anyway.
Have you read this one? What did you think?! Here is the book trailer for it...
Milly Moo the cow was sad. "What's up?" mooed the other cows. "I'm too hot!" Milly Moo the cow was glum. "What's up?" asked the farmer. "It's too hot for me to make milk." Milly Moo wanted to churn out the finest, loveliest, tastiest, creamiest milk. But she couldn't.
Milly Moo isn't like the other cows on the farmer's farm. No, Milly Moo does NOT like the heat. In fact, she is unable to make milk because the weather is so disagreeable to her. But when the weather changes, the farmer sees that his other cows are now miserable...Milly Moo is deliriously happy...but will she be able to make milk?! Maybe, maybe not. Maybe she'll produce something colder, richer, creamier than milk. To the farmer's and reader's great dismay. (I personally had a hard time believing it...but...each reader will have to decide for themselves what to make of Milly Moo and her talent.)
This one I felt was a bit different, a bit odd, a bit out there. Not horribly so. Not unforgivably so. Just not your usual, typical picture book about cows and farmers.
My Rhinoceros by Jon Agee. 2011. Scholastic. 32 pages.
When I bought my rhinoceros, I didn't really know what I was getting into. He was a nice animal. Quiet, shy. He stayed in the yard. Kept to himself. After a couple of days, I noticed that my rhinoceros wouldn't chase a ball. Or a stick. Or a frisbee. He didn't roll over. He didn't do anything. I called a rhinoceros expert...
For those looking for picture books about unusual pets, exotic pets--and there are many, many picture books out there in this category--this one will be a treat. The little boy that stars in Jon Agee's My Rhinoceros has quite the pet. Even if he doesn't know everything his new pet can do...just yet.
The book is very, very silly. And I haven't quite decided what I think of it yet. Have you read it? What did you think?!
Fig and Thistle is celebrating Charles Dickens this January. And since it isn't possible to have a review each Tuesday in January--his works being usually long....long and wonderful!!! (Last week I reviewed David Copperfield.) I thought I would celebrate some of Dicken's first lines. Can you identify which books these first lines come from?!
1. In these times of ours, though concerning the exact year there is no need to be precise, a boat of dirty and disreputable appearance, with two figures in it, floated on the Thames, between Southwark bridge which is of iron, and London Bridge which is of stone, as an autumn evening was closing in.
2. Everybody said so. Far be it from me to assert that what everybody says must be true.
3. Thirty years ago, Marseilles lay burning in the sun, one day.
4. My father's family name being Pirrip, and my Christian name Philip, my infant tongue could make of both names nothing longer or more explicit than Pip.
5. The kettle began it!
6. The first ray of light which illumines the gloom, and converts into a dazzling brilliancy that obscurity in which the earlier history of the public career of the immortal Pickwick would appear to be involved, is derived from the perusal of the following entry in the Transactions of the Pickwick Club, which the editor of these papers feels the highest pleasure in laying before his readers, as a proof of the careful attention, indefatigable assiduity, and nice discrimination, with which his search among the multifarious documents confided to him has been conducted.
7. Among other public buildings in a certain town, which for many reasons it will be prudent to refrain from mentioning, and to which I will assign no fictitious name, there is one anciently common to most towns, great or small: to wit, a workhouse; and in this workhouse was born; on a day and date which I need not trouble myself to repeat, inasmuch as it can be of no possible consequence to the reader, in this stage of the business at all events; the item of mortality whose name is prefixed to the head of this chapter.
8. London. Michaelmas term lately over, and the Lord Chancellor sitting in Lincoln's Inn Hall.
9. Night is generally my time for walking.
10. It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way--in short, the period was so far like the present period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only.
11. Here are not many people - and as it is desirable that a story- teller and a story-reader should establish a mutual understanding as soon as possible, I beg it to be noticed that I confine this observation neither to young people nor to little people, but extend it to all conditions of people: little and big, young and old: yet growing up, or already growing down again--there are not, I say, many people who would care to sleep in a church.
12. NOW, what I want is, Facts. Teach these boys and girls nothing but Facts. Facts alone are wanted in life.
13. Whether I shall turn out to be the hero of my own life, or whether that station will be held by anybody else, these pages must show.
14. An ancient English Cathedral Tower? How can the ancient English Cathedral tower be here!
A. A Tale of Two Cities B. Barnaby Rudge C. Bleak House D. David Copperfield E. Dombey and Son F. Great Expectations G. Hard Times H. Little Dorrit I. Nicholas Nickleby J. Oliver Twist K. Our Mutual Friend L. The Battle of Life M. The Chimes N. The Cricket on the Hearth O. The Haunted Man P. Martin Chuzzlewit Q. The Mystery of Edwin Drood R. The Old Curiosity Shop S. The Pickwick Papers
You may have noticed I didn't include A Christmas Carol! While some of these are famous--very famous--I felt that one was just a little too easy. What's you favorite first line? Which one do you feel is best for 'hooking' the reader? Or capturing the readers' interest?
To Dream in the City of Sorrows. (Babylon 5: Book #9). Kathryn M. Drennan. Based on the series by J. Michael Straczynski. 1997. Random House. 352 pages.
From the prologue: Marcus Cole walked with a limp, a fact that did not go unnoticed by the young Minbari acolyte as Marcus entered the small temple. Marcus didn't recognize the rather chubby Minbari and briefly wondered where Sech Turval was, but as he was not in the mood for conversation, he simply made a note to seek out the venerable Minbari teacher at a later time.
From chapter one: "Alpha 7 to Alpha Leader, I'm hit!"
I am so glad I decided to reread To Dream in the City of Sorrows! I first read this one last summer, lastJune. And the timing happened to be perfect for me. What I was reading went so perfectly well with what I was watching. The episodes I'd just seen meant just that much more because of the reading, and the episodes were influencing how I read the novel.
There were things I appreciated *even* more the second time around. Things that meant more since I knew how the story ended.
So the framework of To Dream In The City of Sorrows--the prologue and epilogue--take place shortly after season three's "Grey 17 is Missing," and are narrated by Marcus Cole. (I just LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Marcus Cole!) But most of the book focuses on what was happening with Jeffrey Sinclair after he left Babylon 5. (The gap between the last episode of season one, "Chrysalis," and the incredibly intense two-part episode "War Without End" of season three. Those two episodes are so-very-important and oh-so-dramatic!!!)
IN the first episode of season two, viewers learn that Jeffrey Sinclair has been suddenly removed from his position on Babylon 5 and reassigned to Minbar. Officially he is the "ambassador from Earth" on Minbar. The FIRST human ambassador to Minbar. Unofficially, well, he's out of favor with Earth Alliance. But that may just prove to everyone's advantage.
In the introduction, J. Michael Straczynski writes, "What you hold in your hand is an official, authorized chapter in the Babylon 5 story line. This is the definitive answer to the Sinclair question, and should be considered as authentic as any episode in the regular series."
Read To Dream in the City of Sorrows
If you want to know what Sinclair was doing in season two and three
If you want to know what became of Catherine Sakai, to learn if these two were able to make their troubled relationship work...with the added drama of Shadows and Rangers
If you want to know more even more about the Shadows' movements during this time
If you want to learn about how Sinclair became Ranger One and re-energized the Rangers (first started by Valen)
If you want to learn more about Minbari prophecies (also their culture and caste system)
If you want to learn more about the Vorlons; in particular readers are introduced to Ulkesh. (Loved Sinclair's first impression of him! And his insights about the Vorlons in general. How Kosh may not be the most representative of his race.)
If you want to learn more about Marcus. Readers meet William Cole AND Marcus Cole. Two brothers with an imperfect relationship. William is an eager ranger-in-training trying to get Marcus to join him, but, things don't always go as planned.
This week I watched The Gathering, the pilot movie for the television show Babylon 5. I had seen this one online last year--when the WB had it on their site. (But it was not the new-and-improved edition with better music.) If you're interested in watching the show online, you might check the WB site. Sometimes they have episodes online, sometimes they don't.
It is a pilot. That's important to keep in mind because the characters don't look quite themselves. The alien characters specifically don't look how they came to look during the show's seasons. The pilot also does not have all the regular cast. Susan Ivanova, for example, is not there. There is also another doctor (Dr. Kyle instead of Dr. Franklin) and another telepath (Lyta Alexander instead of Talia Winters).
But there is enough promise in The Gathering to make it worth watching. Enough promise to make it worth watching even if you've seen all five seasons.
The Gathering begins with narration by Londo Mollari--the Centauri ambassador to Babylon 5.
"I was there, at the dawn of the Third Age of Mankind. It began in the Earth year 2257 with the founding of the last of the Babylon stations, located deep in neutral space. It was a port of call for refugees, smugglers, businessmen, diplomats and travelers from a hundred worlds. It could be a dangerous place, but we accepted the risk because Babylon 5 was our last, best hope for peace. Under the leadership of its final commander, Babylon 5 was a dream given form, a dream of a galaxy without war, when species from different worlds could live side-by-side in mutual respect, a dream that was endangered as never before by the arrival of one man on a mission of destruction. Babylon 5 was the last of the Babylon stations. This is its story."
The basics: The ever-mysterious Vorlon ambassador, Kosh, is arriving at Babylon 5. (All Vorlons are ever-mysterious, not just Kosh). No one has ever seen a Vorlon. No one. And as Sinclair jokingly says, his government has a big-- but empty--file on the Vorlons. There are a handful of people arranged to meet him at his arrival. But minutes after his arrival, Kosh becomes ill. He could very well be dying. And the Vorlons would rather him die than for the humans to get a look at him without his encounter suit on. So what's the good doctor and the good captain to do?! It quickly becomes obvious that someone wants Kosh dead, but who?! Garibaldi, the chief of security, has quite a challenge before him.
Watch The Gathering:
If you are a fan of science fiction and are curious about the show, Babylon 5
If you are indifferent to science fiction, but love television shows with great characters and great storytelling.
If you love foreshadowing. If you like complex stories.
If you want to see quite an important conversation between Delenn and Jeffrey Sinclair
If you want an important Sinclair clue--"There's a hole in your mind."
If you want a reminder of how Londo started out...and G'Kar too! The characters change and transform so very, very much. It's interesting to see just how much!
How To Save a Life. Sara Zarr. 2011. Little, Brown. 342 pages.
"I am writing in response to your Love Grows post from Christmas day. I think I might have what you're looking for. It should be available on March 1. Or around March 1."
How To Save a Life by Sara Zarr is narrated by two teens, Jill and Mandy. Mandy is pregnant and wanting to give her baby up for adoption. She thinks Robin, Jill's mom, would be a good match. But she doesn't exactly want the adoption to go through normal, traditional channels. She wants things done her way. Robin wants a baby so badly. She is just desperate to fill the hole in her heart. You see, Robin and Jill are in grief--probably different stages of grief. Jill's Dad is dead, you see. Jill was always, always, always closer to her Dad. And she isn't quite sure how to (best) relate to her Mom. To be honest, Jill isn't sure how to relate to anybody these days. Not her on-again, off-again boyfriend, Dylan. Not her former best friends. No one. Anyone who challenges her to feel something...she runs from...until she meets someone from her past. A boy named Ravi. He may just help her see things clearly for the first time in months....
So Robin invites Mandy into their home. She welcomes her into their lives. She's willing to pay for all the expenses of the pregnancy. She is just so excited about the coming baby. Jill? Well, Jill is less than thrilled about getting a new brother or sister. In fact, she's ANGRY at her mom and angry at Mandy. What did Mandy ever do to her? Well, nothing really. But Jill is angry at her all the same. She is determined to not like her, determined to find reasons why this adoption is insane. She is sure that Mandy has more than a few secrets, has told more than a few lies...
Mandy has told a few lies...but are they justifiable? You may be the judge of that!
This is a compelling novel to be sure. It is emotional. It is well written. Of the two, I probably loved Mandy just a little bit more. Maybe because she needed to be loved a little more. I'll say no more than that. But even though Jill could be a mess, I still liked her, I still wanted the best for her. I wanted to see her wounds heal too.
I would definitely recommend this one!
Read How To Save A Life
If you're a fan of Sara Zarr and you enjoyed her previous novels: Story of a Girl, Sweethearts, Once Was Lost
If you're looking for an emotionally compelling (but not manipulative) read
If you're looking for a good story about grief and loss
If you're looking for a story about broken families that need healing
If you're looking for a realistic portrayal of teen pregnancy
