I know this isn't about reading books but I had a really cool student tell me about Voki. It is a way to create a character and then have it talk. Good times.

So here is my Voki! :) Enjoy!!! :)


Get a Voki now!

A hairy situation

A few weeks ago I finished A Drowned Maiden’s Hair and I am barely writing about it now. I know; I know I am bad. Anyway, I didn’t think I would like the book because it is historical and I generally don’t go for historical fiction. It was a pretty good book though. It made me realize (again) that I should be willing to try different genres.

Well, to get to the book. It is about a girl, Maud who lives in an orphanage until she gets adopted by a pair of sisters. The sisters are really nice to her at first but something seems wrong. It turns out that the sisters are crooks (they perform séances and trick people) and they want Maud to be a part of the business. They convince Maud to help them and she finds herself in many “hairy” situations (i.e. wearing wigs and costumes) to make the séances more real. Everything goes well until one of the séances put Maud in real danger…

To find out if Maud makes it to safety, read the book. It is a quick read and worth checking out.

What is in a name; annoyance that is what.

I just finished Stardust by Neil Gaiman. It is a fantasy novel that takes place in England back in the day (1800s?). Here is the synopsis from Barnes and Noble:

“In the sleepy English countryside of decades past, there is a town that has stood on a jut of granite for six hundred years. And immediately to the east stands a high stone wall, for which the village is named. Here in the town of Wall, Tristran Thorn has lost his heart to the hauntingly beautiful Victoria Forester. One crisp October night, as they watch, a star falls from the sky, and Victoria promises to marry Tristran if he'll retrieve that star and bring it back for her. It is this promise that sends Tristran through the only gap in the wall, across the meadow, and into the most unforgettable adventure of his life.”

After reading it, I feel the book is just okay, bordering on bad. I like the descriptions and I think the plot is inventive. However, there are lots of things I do not like. One thing I do not like is the love scenes (not altogether graphic, and there are only two, but…ewww). Also, there is some bad language that really does not add to the book at all. I guess it is just there to try and appeal to some readers? Another thing I do not like is all of the violence. Lots and lots of violence in this book. I know, I know, it is fantasy…BUT STILL. Finally, a last thing I do not like the use of SO MANY NAMES! I am not a huge fan of fantasy and I think a lot of it comes down to the names. Why must all fantasy books use such crazy names? Why must there be so many characters, humans and otherwise? All those characters, all those names make it hard for me to stay with the plot and really get into the story.

Maybe I need to try a different fantasy book? I don’t know but this one really did not do much for me. I have heard from multiple people that the movie is actually better than the book in this case. I am going to check out the movie soon and blog about that too! :)

Sick! A nollie ollie!

Okay, so a “nollie ollie” is not a real skateboarding trick. I made it up and it is impossible to do, as my students remind me every time I brag about doing one. Well, one of my students, Aaron suggested that I read The Mutt: How to Skateboard and Not Kill Yourself. I was expecting that I would hate all of the technical stuff and find it impossible to relate to…I WAS WRONG.

Rodney (the Mutt) Mullen opens up in this book in a way that most authors would not dare. He shares his deepest emotions and all the while telling the story of skateboarding. Since Rodney was a nerd, and I am nerd, the story was easy to relate to even without a skating background. He was a loner for so much of his life and anyone who has ever felt lonely could read this book and relate to it while also finding inspiration. Another thing that struck me throughout the book was Rodney’s spirituality and his humbleness. Before this book I was clueless and now I have so much respect and admiration for him.

Even though the book has plenty of pictures of Rodney doing tricks, I wanted to see him in action. I you-tubed him and found the video below. It gave me goosebumps and blew me away. Watch the video and read the book. You won’t regret it.

Laundry is cool!

I just finished Al Capone Does My Shirts and I absolutely loved it. While Capone plays a big part in the book (set in the 1930s), I really love it because the story is mostly about family. It is about the relationship between the main character Moose and his sister Natalie. Even though Natalie is older than Moose, her mental age is much younger and the relationship they have together is both difficult yet heartwarming.

In addition to the family aspect, the story has the unique setting of being on Alcatraz hence the connection to Al Capone who once served time there. I especially love the genuine picture of Alcatraz at the front of the book labeled with information that fits the characters of the book. Even though the ending of the book is somewhat predictable, it brings the story full circle so nicely. Lastly, I enjoyed that much of the circumstances in the story were based on factual occurrences, like the fact that Capone did do laundry while serving time on Alcatraz. Who knew laundry could be so cool?

The biggest problem (?) with the book is that it does sort of leave the reader really liking Al Capone!!! :0) If you read the author’s note at the end of the book it does explain Capone’s dual nature of bad and good but it just made me think…hmmm….I am still leaving this book liking a murderer.

Read the book and let me know if you think I am crazy or if you see where I am coming from.