paperback-ponderings

[paperback-ponderings]

60 years (and two days) later

Why hello there, it's been a minute (hereby meaning nearly a year). Somehow this review is still (two days) late.

Title: Walls Author: L.M. Elliot ISBN: 9781643750248 How I got the book: eARC through NetGalley

tl;dr review: A truly YA book that covers a period of history not often seen in historical fiction and that looks at the world of military families. Also great for (likely non-German) fans of Deustchland 1983, The Lives of Others, and more.

Review: Walls focuses on army brat, Drew, and his family who are newly in Berlin after a PCS (Permanent Change of Station) to West Berlin in the autumn of 1960. Drew's mother is the daughter of a German immigrant and has a cousin she's never met before who lives in Berlin: East Berlin. In addition to adjusting to a new school and life in a free (half) city surrounded by hostile territory (Soviet occupied East Germany), Drew and his sisters, Joyce and Linda, also adjust to a new cousin, East Berlin raised Matthias. Freedom/U.S. loving Drew has difficulties with Matthias (and Matthias with Drew) as at first glance Matthias is a loyal, fully indoctrinated communist youth and member of the FDJ. However all is not as it seems, and despite some encouragement to spy on Matthias by another student, Drew and Matthias become friends. As the months go on, things become harder and life more restricted in Berlin until the Soviets build the Berlin Wall overnight in August 1961. It's inevitable that the newly reunited family will be torn apart, but how? You'll have to read the book yourself to find out. In addition to being a well-written historical fiction book (and one that's totally appropriate for younger YA readers), this book also provides historical interludes and photos to explain what was really going on in Berlin and other parts of the world each month. Some of the characters and events (beyond the construction of the wall) are also real.

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World KidLit Month

Photo courtesy of Planet Picture Books

It's World KidLit month! My blog probably won't be participating for a variety of reasons (I just left one job and am starting two others, most of my kids' and YA books are by US or UK authors, I have a series of posts of non-fiction adult books planned...), but it's a good thing to be aware of and there are fantastic KidLit and YA books out there, and you may not even know some of your favourites are translations!

#worldkidlitmonth #kidlit #ya books

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An Ode to Charlie Bone

Oh Charlie Bone, also known as the main protagonist of the Children of the Red King series, how I loved your books as a child and how odd it is that you did not take off nearly as much as another series about a magical, British boy who attends boarding school. In fact, let's pause for a moment and have a table to compare, shall we?

Children of the Red King Harry Potter British boy with messy hair who can't stay out of trouble is main protagonist ✔ ✔ Morally ambiguous characters ✔ ✔ ️ Additional books covering background lore and supporting character stories ✔ ❌ Can buy books from the books ❌ ✔ ️ Canonically (racially) diverse major characters ✔ ❌ Teachers that hate a kid because they never got to have sex with the kid's mom ❌ ✔ ️ Author goes on anti-trans rants on Twitter ❌ ✔ ️ Has a were-being ✔ ✔ ️ Number of main books 8 7 ️

And now that we've had that oh so lovely chart (sorry, tumblr won't let me put in CSS elements for just one post to make it look better), we can get back to our regular programming. The Children of the Red King series first came out in the UK in 2002 (2003 in the U.S.), so several years after Harry Potter and well into the mania, and publication concluded in 2009 in the UK and 2010 in the U.S. In the U.S. (I can't speak to the UK), the following was very niche, and it has always been fairly rare to find a fellow fan. Now, many libraries have withdrawn their copies due to low circulation (though a quick catlogue search shows my local library system still has it), major chains like Barnes & Noble only sell the eBook (it may only be in print in the UK), and you aren't likely to find many people younger than their mid-20s who know about the series. It also doesn't seem poised for a renaissance with today's children like Avatar: the Last Airbender is currently seeing thanks to Netflix. All of this is a shame, because Children of the Red King is an excellent middle grade series (I admit that when I was finishing it in 2010 I was finishing for the sake of finishing, not because it was age appropriate) and now re-reading it as an adult (out of a mixture of nostaligia and a desire to see if I missed anything horrible in this series like I did in Harry Potter) I've been reminded about what a good series it is; I've even ordered the background books/prequel trilogy I never had and the books that deal with more secondary characters. C.S. Lewis was quite right when he wrote "some day you will be old enough to start reading fairy tales again." I ususally say how I acquired the books I've read, and in this case it's a little odd. The Children of the Red King books I originally read were a mix of gifts and ones I bought on my own; those books were later given to my cousin and I have no idea where they are now. My current copies were all bought used, as were my copies of the Chronicles of the Red King trilogy; the copies of Gabriel and the Phantom Sleepers and Henry and the Guardians of the Lost I've ordered will come new and be shipped from the UK.

#Charlie Bone #Children of the Red King #Red King #harry potter #middle grade #kid lit

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🏳️‍🌈Global Pride 2020🏳️‍🌈

While I've only been reading one of these books during Pride Month I'm going to call this my Global Pride 2020/Pride Month 2020 mini-review list. The titles on this list are a mix of non-ficiton and fiction titles, and not all are published works.

Title: Reverie Author: Ryan La Sala ISBN: 9781728221014 How I got the book: borrowed per employer policy Review: I didn't actualy finish this book and it's a book I should have finished as I'm the YA bookclub host and this was our January YA bookclub book. But, I ended up only getting around halfway through by bookclub night and then winging it with the one attendee (he had read the entire book, but also said he wouldn't have gotten through it were it not for the audiobook). The book was a very slow start, and I felt like the side characters shone much more than the main character. I also felt like the author got so hung up in the artistry of his writing individual sentences/descriptions that he really lacked in writing things like decent transitions or the how and why of vital parts of the story (though again, I didn't finish, so maybe these hows and whys were resolved after I gave up). All that said, this book is lauded for queer representation, for a reason: the main character is gay, he has a reciprocated love interest, there's a drag queen, and another characer reads like she might be a lesbian (but this is never stated).

Title: Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic Author: Alison Bechdel ISBN: 9780547347004 How I got the book: read on Hoopla through my local library Review: Fun Home is a graphic memoir (and the basis for the play of the same name) of Alison Bechdel's early life through college, and includes her discovering her sexuality, coming out, and discovering and grappling with her father's sexual orientation after his death shortly after she starts college. The memoir serves the draw parallels between daughter and father, but also to find signs and markers in hindsight about her father.

Title: Ace: What Asexuality Reveals About Desire, Society, and the Meaning of Sex Author: Angela Chen ISBN: 9780807013793 How I got the book: I recieved an eARC to read and review through Edelweiss Review: Ace has an anticipated publiction date for September 2020 (though publication dates have been changing due to the pandemic). The book stands poised to be an excellent reference for asexual and allo-sexual readers alike, as it constrasts the expreiences of those who may be thought of as more obviousuly asexual (the sex repulsed) and those who are are less obviously asexual (the sex neutral and even sex positive); talks about romantic loves vs. sexual feeling vs. friendship; explains key differences to celibacy and incels; and more. The book also discusses it's limitations as a book that ultimately focused on mainly White and Asian respondents, and thus perpetuates white-washing issues. The book uses highly accessible language and would be a great resource on its own or in a class.

#global pride 2020 #happy pride 🌈 #ace pride #pride 2020

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⚜️Bonne fête nationale et joyeux jour des Franco-Américains!⚜️

I have been sitting on this review for some time becase I wanted to save this book for Québec's fête nationale (better known as Saint-Jean or Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day to some) and Franco-American Day in some U.S. states. It will also eventually be a bilingual review with the (probably error ridden as Antidote only catches so much) French version following the English.

Title: A Distinct Alien Race: The Untold Story of Franco-Americans Author: David Vermette ISBN: 9781771861496 How I got the book: purchased

tl;dr review: While not light reading, this book dispells myths and covers what you never knew about New England's franco-American population and the industrialists that drew them to the U.S.

Review: With a name like Nicole Louise Gauvreau, but a first language of English and holding only U.S. citizenship, one would think the subject matter of this book would be close to me on a familial level. While my franco-American family's story does contain figures like a great granduncle who went to work in Fall River, it is not a close attachement; I read this book out of pure curiousity after seeing it on Twitter. Section one focuses on the English-speaking New England industrialists who created the mills and mill towns that ultimately drew thousands of Canadiens (the term Québécois was not yet in use, and some did come from Ontario) to the U.S. It also discusses the (much better) conditions young, female, anglophone, American mill workers faced in the early days of the mills and mill towns. Section two begins the true discussion of the Canadiens who would become franco-Americans and their role in the mills, mill towns, and the conditions they faced. It also dispells common myths about who exactly Canadien immigrants were in terms of demographics. The discussion of the conditions of mill towns and mill housing is expanded upon in section three as the reception of franco-Americans by anglo-Americans is discussed. It was while reading this section that I perhaps learned the most, including about fears of conspiracy (some of which could be compared to modern fears of Latin American immigration to the U.S.), attempts at eugenics, and KKK violence. Finally, while I learned the most in section three, and it coud be expected that sections two adnd three would depress most people, it was section four and the discussion of moving away from "Little Canadas", language loss, and maps of depressingly low precentages of French speakers in New England that brought tears to my eyes, if only because I know some of those struggles are reflected in my own family.

#fête nationale #saint jean baptiste #franco-american #quebec #canadien

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Anti-Racist Reading

Like my post for Buy a Quebec Book Day, This ia a post without full reviews. Unlike that post, this is not because I'm listing a few favourites as posibilities for people to consider, but because as a (very) white person I am in no way qualified to review these AND I pulled the books I've read or in the process of reading off this list created by Twitter user @tatortash

Lies My Teacher Told Me: Everything Your American History Textbook Got Wrong by James W. Loewen (white author) This book is in the suggested pre-reading section of the list, and is a book I bought used (I have the second edition, which was published in 2008) and read a number of years ago because it sounded interesting. The book is indeed interesting, and begins by lamenting how U.S. history is taught in U.S. primary and secondary schools, goes on to dispell some common myths that are taught (or tell histories not taught at all), and then to discuss the lies that may or may not continue to be taught. A number (most) of the stories in the book are still white stories, but even my 2008 edition has chapters on how racism and antiracism are hidden in history.

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas Part of the continue your journey section, The Hate U Give is in the fiction subsection (the list contains books you'll find in the adult and YA sections of libraries and bookstores). The Hate U Give came out in 2017 and has been wildly popular since; so popular that it has yet to see an English-language, North American paperback release. The movie adaption was also wildly popular (and if anything drove up the poularity of the book even more). The book follows Star as she speaks out against police brutality and the murder of her best frined, attempts to continue code switching between home and school while hiding her identity as "the witness", and much more. I checked the book out from what was at the time my local library.

They Called Us Enemy by George Takai From the Asian and Pacific Islander studies subsection of the continue your journey section, this is George Takai's autobiography in graphic novel format of his time in U.S. concentration camps for Japanese Americans and Japanese citizens in the U.S. after Pearl Harbor and how it impacted his family and his own sense of social justice. I read this through my local library's Hoopla subscription. If your library has Hoopla (it's only available in the U.S. and Canada), check and see if this is a title they've opted into (libraries opt in based on price point).

Black Like Me John Howard Griffin (white author) Found in the white studies section of @tatortash's list, but you would need to look in the African American studies section of some prominent book store chains, Library of Congress (depending on the edition) has it under the subject headings: African Americans--Southern States--Social conditions, African Americans--Southern States, Southern States--Race relations, and Texas--Biography, the LC call number puts it under "Afro-Americans--Status and development since emancipation", and Dewey puts the book either under "groups of people" OR "biographies"". All that to say, that while this book is about a white journalist who goes undercover pretending to be black to learn about racism in the U.S. South in the late 1950s, the super white profession that is librarianship has made some potentially problematic decisions on this book. Based on the bits of paper that fell out of this book, I last read it in around the 9th grade and I'm not sure if I bought it new or used.

Still reading:

Stamped From the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas In America by Ibram X. Kendi One of the three options in the starting your journey section on defining racism and anti-racism in the U.S. Technically I am listening to this one as Dr. Kendi, his publisher, and the audiobook narrator have made the full audiobook available for free on Spotify. As it's a long book, heavy topic, selling out in many places, and there are long library wait lists, this is greatly appreciated.

New Kid by Jerry Kraft Also a part of the continue your journey section, New Kid falls under the children's literature subsection. In addition to making @tatortash's list, New Kid is also the 2020 Newbery Medal winner and the first graphic novel to be awarded the Newbery! I'm reading this through my local library's Hoopla subscription. If your library has Hoopla, check and see if this is a title at a price point they've opted into.

#antiracism #antiracist reading

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С 8 марта!

This post won’t be in Russian (my linguistic abilities aren’t there), despite the title. I just happen to have not really thought much about International Women’s Day until I lived in Russia for two semesters. This post is, however, about a book by a German author who is originally a Russophone from Azerbaijan.

English Title: City of Jasmine Author: Olga Grjasnowa Translator: Katy Derbyshire ISBN: 9781786074874 How I got the book: purchased

tl;dr review: A book that is the fictional tale of what I wish was not still a highly relevant, ongoing story. I hope to read the original German at some point because as the author said at the 2019 National Book Festival, the translation is brilliant, but it’s not really her book anymore.

Review: I started reading City of Jasmine over Labo(u)r Day weekend 2019, meaning it took me six months to read a 240 odd page book. However, the book is by no means bad; if it was I would declare it a book not to be finished and get rid of it. While it might be difficult (nearly impossible) to tell from this blog given how infrequently I update, I do read a lot and some of it had to be read (like YA book club books). Thus this book kept getting put down, and as it’s a very heavy topic it wasn’t always my first choice to pick back up. While City of Jasmine is on a very heavy topic —the Syrian revolution, subsequent civil war, and the lives of refugees making their way to and eventually lives in Europe— it is a beautifully written/translated book that makes you think about people whose histories we’re not often given, who are often portrayed as huddled masses or invading hordes by the media, and who after nine years we have even begun to tune out of our collective consciousness as being important. We first meet Hammoudi, a Paris educated surgeon who is forced to return to Syria to renew his passport, only to become trapped by a lack of an exit visa just as the civil war begins. We then see him re-adjust to life in Syria, get his medical credentials recognized, and ultimately stay in his hometown long after everyone else has left because he is the last doctor remaining. Shortly after meeting Hammoudi we meeting Amal, a promising television actress, theatre student, and revolutionary. Amal struggles to remain in Syria, home to her most of her family and her career, but increasingly being made aware that she is in danger due to her actions and beliefs. Ultimately danger and personal struggles combine to start her journey out of Syria and to Europe. Hammoudi and Amal’s lives only meet twice, and only for the briefest of moments each time, making this dual story all the more intriguing, as does wanting to know how their stories will end. Will they survive? If they do will they be happy or at least have some measure of success in a country they never chose?

#international women's day #march 8 #С 8 марта #refugees #syria #arab spring #german literature #russian #translation

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I actually found this through Facebook, but Oh Mein Goethe this is fantastic (as are the various lists and databases created by others that are linked to).

Master List of My Book Rec Posts

I figured it’d be useful to gather links to all my main book rec posts into one place. I’ll try to keep updating this as I add more posts.

Newer Queer SFF Posts

Massive Queer SFF Rec Post

Trans SFF

F/F SFF

Ace Spectrum SFF

Bi and Pan SFF

Queer SFF Books by Authors of Color

Tag Yourself: Sapphics in Space

10 Queer Fantasy Short Stories (for free online)

10 Queer Science Fiction Novels

7 Fantasy Stories with Aro Leads (okay, not new but IDK where else to put it)

Old Pride Flag Posts

10 Queer SFF Books by Authors of Color

SFF Books with Lesbian Leads

SFF Books with Ace Spectrum Protagonists

Queer SFF Books by Black Authors

Queer SFF Books by Asian Authors

F/F Science Fiction and Fantasy Books

SFF Books with LGBTQIA Protagonists

SFF Books by Nonbinary and Trans Authors

SFF Books with Trans and Nonbinary Leads

SFF Books with Bisexual Protagonists

SFF Books with Trans Woman Leads

Upcoming Releases

October 2019 Queer SFF Releases

November and December 2019 Queer SFF Releases

Other Diversity in SFF Posts

Adult Science Fiction Books Not Written by Straight White Men

Adult Fantasy Books Not Written by Straight White Men

Science Fiction and Fantasy Books by Authors of Color

Disabled/Neurodivergent/Mentally Ill SFF

Other SFF Posts

Science Fiction and Fantasy Books with Low to No Romance

Original Fiction that Appeals to People Who Like Fanfiction

Answers to Asks

Poly SFF

Disabled/Neurodivergent SFF 

#queer #lgbtq+ #quiltbags #queer reading #lgbtq reads

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TeenTober 2: I'm Not Dying with You Tonight

Authors: Kimberly Jones & Gilly Segal Edition: Barnes & Noble YA Book Club Edition ISBN: 9781728211343 Retailer suggested age range: 14-17 years old How I got the book: borrowed from work per company policy

tl;dr review: I would not have published this book/accepted the manuscript for publication.

Review: While the suggested age range for this book from retailers is 14–17, I would place this book firmly on the younger end of YA. So, probably a mature 12-year-old to 15-year-olds. The book centres on two teens: Campbell (like the soup company) and Lena and the events at their school and later in their city (possibly Atlanta). Lena is a black, native to the city, boy crazy, and fashion conscious. Campbell is white, sporty but is no longer involved in sports, and has lived most of her life in a mostly white Pennsylvania town. The girls’ perspectives are written by different authors out of a respect for the OwnVoices movement. I will admit that I only read this book because I was leading YA book club, and I was only leading YA book club because two of my coworkers (both black) could not bring themselves to finish this book. In the words of one of the two, "That book did not reflect my black high school experience." My coworkers and I were also shocked to find out that the book was apparently inspired by the riots in Baltimore after the death of Freddy Gray. It felt like this book was published because The Hate U Give has been so successful, but it’s a sad attempt to match The Hate U Give. I’m Not Dying With You Tonight takes place over only a few hours and in two points of view; it is thus not just fast paced, but rushed. There’s little chance for character development or growth, and what we do see feels very forced. Lena and Campbell aren’t friends in the beginning, but by the end they’ve survived the same traumatic event and it feels like they’ve been set up to be friends. I’m glad to see even more books taking on racial injustice and unequal treatment by the police, but this book could have been so much better and not made me wonder until I (a white person) Googled the authors, "How white are both of these authors?" Major issues I had:

It took until page 200 to learn that Lena’s boyfriend is named Milton (previously the reader knew he was called Black by everyone in his life because he has the darkest skin in his family).

A riot starts first at the high school and then in the city over a racial slur.

Neither Lena nor Campbell (both 17 or 18) seemed to understand the gravity of anything, even as things literally burned around them, and instead went on a quest to find Black and protect Campbell’s dad’s hardware store.

#YA #ownvoices #bnyabookclub #book review

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TeenTober1: Bridge of Clay

Author: Markus Zusak Edition: Signed ISBN: 9780375845598 U.S. retailer suggested age range: 14-17 years old (in some countries this book is published and sold as an adult book, not a YA book) How I got the book: gift from family

tl;dr review: A coming of age novel centred on love and loss that blurs the lines between YA and adult fiction. However, I won't read it again.

Review: Bridge of Clay is the story of the Dunbar family. It's primarily the story of the Dunbar boys and their coming to terms with the death of their mother and their father subsequently abandonning them and reappearing, and most specifically it's about Clay, one of the youngest Dunbar boys. But their parents' stories, which are woven throughout, are integral. Bridge of Clay is also perhaps an overly traditional book in someways: the author is a white male, none of the characters are known to be people of colour, female characters are secondary (but essential to the story), and young male violence is seemingly encouraged. The book opens when the story closes, with eldest Dunbar boy Matthew typing it up on a typewriter important to his father's story, and follows no linear timeline. The reader may be following the Dunbar boys in the main timeline of the novel for many chapters, only to be flung back years or decades to explore an aspect of their mother Penelope's or father Michael's past, to see how one of the menagerie of pets (a dog, cat, pigeon, goldfish, and mule) the Dunbar boys have came to be with them, or to follow Clay as he acquires key objects. I found that all the time hopping wasn't always well paired in terms of plot events and made it easy to put the book down. In fact, it took me months to finish reading the novel. However, when I did sit down and read without interuption, the way characters deal with different kinds of loss, the vibrancy of life inspite of death, and love (and falling out of love) being shown in less stereotypical ways were wonderful. On some level Bridge of Clay reminds me of a longer, more engineered (no puns intended) The Secret Life of Bees. I did want to get half the characters (Clay espcially) a therapist so that they could learn to deal with grief in healthier ways than by abandonning their family, engaging in physical altercations, running barefoot on surfaces with broken glass, and building bridges by hand without mortar.

#YA #book review

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TeenTober

This year the Young Adult Library Services Association (a division of the American Library Association), announced the first annual TeenTober, "to celebrate teens, promote year-round teen services and the innovative ways teen services helps teens learn new skills, and fuel their passions in and outside the library." As an information professional, though one not currently employed in my field, I'm using TeenTober to review some YA books I've recently read.

The first will be Bridge of Clay by Markus Zusak, which I was given a gift last year. The second will be I'm Not Dying With You Tonight by Gilly Segal and Kimberly Jones, which was the September Barnes & Noble YA Book Club book (disclosure, I am employed by Barnes & Noble and lead YA Book Club at my store). The third, and likely final, book will be Serpent & Dove by Shelby Mahurin, which is the October Barnes & Noble YA Book Club book. Time permitting, I may review Fountains of Silence by Ruta Sepetys, which is the November Barnes & Noble YA Book Club book.

#TeenTober #ya fiction #teenfiction #ya #bnyabookclub #books and libraries #public libraries #library #teen reads #young adult

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Le 12 août, j'achète un livre québécois!/On August 12th, I buy a Québécois book

In honour of Buy a Quebec Book Day (August 12th, though I am posting this on August 13th), I am listing (without full reviews), some of my favourite novels/series by Québécois authors/authors who live(d) in Quebec.

La femme qui fuit Anaïs Barbeau-Lavalette This was the first novel I read in French that hadn't been adapted for language learners and wasn't a children's book, so it holds a special place in my heart. It also happens to be a book by a Québécoise author and was very popular in 2015/2016 (I read it in March 2016).

Bonheur d'occasion Gabrielle Roy Gabrielle Roy is actually franco-Manitoban and not Québécoise, but she lived in Quebec for over 30 years and Bonheur d'occasion is about Quebec. Plus, any book that might have helped spark a revolution in addition to being an accurate portrayal of how the life in the arrondissement my family historically lived in had to make my list.

Série policière Maud Graham Chrystine Brouillet I will admit that i actually haven't read most of the series, but I love mystery novels, and police procedurals in particular. The novels in this particular series can be a bit intense (if you like Law & Order: SVU you will probably like these), but are massively popular and Chrystine Brouillet is a highly acclaimed author.

Chief Inspector Armand Gamache series Louise Penny People who live in Quebec aren't just francophones, and thus the literature of Quebec isn't just in French (I think there are works in various Asian languages that are in the BAnQ  because of legal deposit). The Chief Inspector Armand Gamache series thus takes its place as a series of books written by an author who lives in Quebec (she is from Ontario originally) and which are set in Quebec, but that are written in English. This is another massively popular mystery series (this time worldwide) and Louise Penny is also a highly acclaimed author.

Special addition: The next book I plan to read by a Québécois author is Ici, ailleurs by Matthieu Simard. I actually have an ARC (advance reading copy) of the English translation, so unless someone wants to trade, I suppose I will technically read The Country Will Bring Us No Peace.

#12aoutjacheteunlivrequebecois #qc #books #livres #quebec #canada #arc #advancedreaderscopy

[paperback-ponderings]

So I thought I had deleted my Tumblr account until they sent me an email yesterday... This will be a very long caption. In the six years since I last wrote anything here I moved to Quebec, started undergrad, finished undergrad, moved to Russia, did a graduate certificate, moved back to Quebec, did a master's degree, and have now moved back in with my parents as I search for full time employment. However, because my current part time job is book related and my master's degree is theoretically/stereotypically book related, I thought maybe this was a good time to actually try starting this blog again. I'll probably never be good at it (I was never good at journaling), but I'll try. Keep an eye out for posts in French and German as well as I'm hoping to writing reviews of books I read in French and German in those languages (plus English) just for language practice.

[paperback-ponderings]

The Indian in the Cupboard series by Lynne Reid Banks

I LOVE this series. My first experience with it was as audiobooks on cassette (yeah, it was awhile back). The series is so good that I played those tapes until they were so worn down they couldn't be played anymore. Even as an adult i still love the series and still own the books. 

The premise is a young boy, Omri, receives two second hand gifts for his birthday, a plastic model of a Native American and an old medicine cupboard. After going through his mother's collection of old keys, Omri finds one which fits the cupboard, an old skeleton key that once fit his great-grandmother's jewel box. 

Upon locking the figurine in the cupboard over night, Omri is awoke by a small sound, and discovers the figurine is now a live Native American Brave, Little Bull/Bear (the name is different in the audiobooks and my US print editions) of the Iroquois tribe.

From here five books of adventures and secret begin, encompassing Omri, his best friend Patrick, Little Bull, a cowboy named Boon, and various other characters brought to life through the help of the cupboard. Or maybe it's the key...

I'll say no more, or else I would spoil the entire series, which I recommend getting for any and every young reader in your life, or even yourself. 

If you're interested in the audiobooks they are all available for download through Barnes and Noble, or you can get books 1,2,4 and 5 (the Indian in the Cupboard, The Return of the Indian, the Secret of the Cupboard, and the Key to the Indian) through Audible. Or, you can pay a fortune to buy the CDs or cassette tapes.

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The Wonderful Flight to the Mushroom Planet series by Eleanor Cameron

I thought I would start my book reviewing with a childhood favourite, Eleanor Cameron's The Wonderful Flight to the Mushroom Planet, however due to unforseen events, these brilliant children's books were pushed back.

Published in 1954, this is actually the a series of six, though most are now out of print. Subsequently, I can only review The Wonderful Flight to the Mushroom Planet and The Stowaway to the Mushroom Planet. 

These are independent reader books, meaning they are intend for ages 8-12. However, if you have a younger child in your life who is an advanced reader, or an older child (or adult) who doesn't mind a foray into lower level books, this series is by no means inappropriate for all ages; I think I first read these in the first grade (first class [IE]/grade one [CA and AU]/year two [England and NZ], primary stage three [Northern Ireland and Scotland]).

These books are a lovely blend of realistic fiction and SciFi, I have no idea what else to call books based so strongly on friendship and in a normal town, that jettisons the main characters to an unknown natural satellite. Were it not for a few era-specific references, you wouldn't know these books were published over half a century ago, they're still that relevant/believable.

A five star series overall, and I'd love to get my hands on the rest of it. Best of all, you could easily read only the first book and not feel like you were missing out on anything, which is good since that's the easiest one to find.   

[paperback-ponderings]

The Cuckoo's Calling by Robert Galbraith (J.K. Rowling)

Originally I was going to save this for my second post, but after this weekend's reveal I figured I'd move it up. I had also hoped to have this posted on Sunday, but work, a psychotic GPS and illness got in the way. OK, on to the review:

I first found this book through Goodreads.com (which I love, check it out if you haven't already), back in late April. I debated buying it for a while as I'd read the online excerpt on Amazon and the writing seemed familiar, but I'm very selective in mystery novels (I blame a steady diet of Nancy Drew and The Hardy Boys when I was little).

I am not disappointed in breaking down to buy this book, I honestly can't believe I wanted to wait for the library order it (which they had refused to do). Can you tell it's a J.K. Rowling novel if you've read A Casual Vacancy, yes. Would you know it's a J.K. Rowling novel if you've only read Harry Potter, maybe, if you're good at picking up on symbolism and notice a pattern in specific settings. However, this woman can write mystery novels just as well as fantasy (my opinion about her realistic fiction will come in a future review)! The book is gripping, moves at a steady pace, and uses physical and psychological tension in all the right places; there's also a smattering of mildly comedic moments.

Despite dealing with murder and a psychopath, you can safely read this before bed. If your a fan of other British mysteries, you might find this similar to Peter Lovesey's novels. That's all I'm willing to say, you'll have to get your hands on a copy once the next print run comes out to find out more.