A Big Stack of Books - Junior Edition

I have a big stack of books here to review and they're stressing me out so you're going to get quick reviews over the next few days so that I can sit and peacefully enjoy an episode or two of Supernatural (I'm only in the middle of season two!) without staring at the pile.

The Unbreakable Code by Jennifer Chambliss Bertman is the sequel to Book Scavenger and I have to admit that I enjoyed the first book better. This one was a lot darker and rather creepy at times, and not in a good way. It dealt with some of the issues of the first book in a pretty adult way and it overshadowed the fun puzzles and mysteries. I did like the San Francisco info and learned a lot about the islands off the coast. I also loved the references to It's-It Ice Cream Sandwiches because they are the best! I ended up buying myself a box shortly after finishing this.

I can't get enough Kate Milford (there's a sequel to Greenglass House coming out in October, kids!!!) and so, when I needed an escape from political madness, I turned to this book. Kate herself noticed my tweet about excitedly starting this one and apologized like this: "I want to say I love this, but you know you picked the one that involves a gullible populace falling prey to a huckster, right?" At least I was forewarned but Kate overstated the peril because this book is all about smart kids and their willingness to put their lives on the line to save their town. It was inspirational and I ended it with a renewed sense of power and hope.

Finally, I recently read the novelization of My Neighbor Totoro. I was in the mood because Z and I have been going to Studio Ghibli Fest movies each month, My Neighbor Totoro in June and Kiki's Delivery Service this month. Well, this book was cute and just slightly different from the movie so fun to read even if you've watched it a billion times already. Z's been eyeing it too but right now he's in the middle of the big Hitchhiker's Guide omnibus.

Believing and hoping (and eating It's-Its),

K

New Release: Meddling Kids

I rarely preorder new books anymore but, because this was supposedly based on Mystery Inc./Scooby-Doo and because I *loved* Edgar Cantero's first novel, The Supernatural Enhancements, I knew that Meddling Kids was a no-risk buy and I also didn't want to wait to read it. Based on the descriptions (a mix of Scooby-Doo and The Goonies was the last one I saw), I was expecting a light-hearted, funny pastiche. But this is an actual horror book with damaged characters. The young detective friends have grown up, had various problems based on what they experienced in their last case, and have reunited in Oregon to face those demons -- some of them literal. It's not all bleak though -- there's friendship, unrequited love, and yes, a dog.

I was just reading my post about The Supernatural Enhancements and I said that I had written "holy crap" in a tweet and that the author asked if it was good crap or bad. This time I tweeted right at him -- "Wow, @punkahoy. Just wow, wow, wow, wow, wow. #readthisbook". And yes, they were good wows. I had so much fun reading this story, so many things happened that I never saw coming. The story had nods to those previously mentioned shows and found its creatures in Lovecraftian lore, but it was purposeful, never heavy-handed, and all arranged in an exciting, original way. Also, check out the awesome neon cover! This was a great summer read but would also be perfect during the upcoming RIP season. (Not that I'm already thinking about reading stacks for that because that would be crazy ... er ...)

Unearthing a gem,

K

Tesla, Tesla

The Last Days of Night is a newish release by Graham Moore, best known for his debut book, The Sherlockian. It explores the dawn of the electrical age by following the lawyer, Paul Cravath, who defended George Westinghouse in his battle with Thomas Edison over the lightbulb and direct versus alternating current. Because Nikola Tesla, after leaving the employ of Edison, spent some time working with Westinghouse and ended up selling him his AC patents, this ends up mostly being a tale of the relationships between Cravath, Westinghouse, and Tesla. There is also a love story for Cravath and a glimpse into New York high society.

At the end of the book, Moore calls it a "dramatization of history", a "Gordian knot of verifiable truth, educated supposition, dramatic rendering, and total guesswork". I thought it was fascinating and a fun read ... and it led me to finally pick up my next read from the TBR, where it has languished for years.

Tesla: Man Out of Time by Margaret Cheney is considered the definitive biography of Nikola Tesla. It is technical and mostly covers his inventions and patents but also veers into his social life and unique mental abilities. I only wish that it had been updated after the 1981 publication date because one of the most interesting parts was the discussion of how modern scientists are now putting some of Tesla's more "far-fetched" ideas to use. I know that there have been even more researchers and corporations in the last 35 years that have come to see the light about Tesla's ideas, so to speak, and it would have added even more strength to the narrative of his genius. Sometime soon I'll read Tesla's own short autobiography, maybe when I take delivery of my electric car later this year!

Plugging in to history,

K

The Company, In Short Form

Black Projects, White Knights is a collection of short stories set in Kage Baker's The Company alternate history series. The fifteen stories revisit some familiar characters like Mendoza, Joseph, and Kalugin and I enjoyed those but my favorite were the four stories featuring Alec, the mysterious child who is possibly genetically-modified, possibly a cyborg, but certainly a bright and unique boy. My favorite was The Dust Enclosed Here which happens to be available online. If you want to read a fun story about a technologically advanced kid who meets a holographic William Shakespeare and liberates him, then this is your lucky day!

I'm starting to get sad that I'm about halfway through the Company books already. Luckily it should take me some time to get through the remaining ones as they are getting very hard to track down! I have the next one (The Life of the World to Come) and a standalone (The Empress of Mars) but haven't found used copies of any others. Now I'm in the mood to scour my local used bookstores yet again ...

Enjoying the short but sweet tales,
K

Nine

Nine years ago ...

I had a little four year old kiddo who was off to preschool for a couple of hours each day.
I had some time to myself and wanted to find people to talk with about something other than parenting.
I had noticed book blogs and thought that I might like to try writing one.

Today ...

I have a big kid that is thirteen years old and starting eighth grade in the fall.
I get to talk to amazing people around the world almost every day about books, politics, and more.
I have a blog that is nine years old.

I don't know where the time goes but I couldn't be happier to have spent some of it doing this with all of you. Your friendships, discussions, and lives enrich mine. Thank you for making this a place and community that I don't want to leave.

With true love and appreciation,
K (and Z)