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: Book Scavenger

I'm back! Sorry to disappear on you like that but I had to go to Kauai for a bit. It was a lovely vacation and I'll share some pictures with you in my next post but right now I really wanted to share with you the best book I read while I was there -- Book Scavenger by Jennifer Chambliss Bertman.

Garrison Griswold is called "the Willy Wonka of book publishing".  He runs some one-off book and puzzle related games but his biggest undertaking is an online game called Book Scavenger where people hide books and then leave clues so that other readers can find them. There's a whole points system and it has some seriously devoted users. Griswold is ready to launch his big next game when he is attacked. Emily, a Book Scavenger fanatic, is the one who finds the first clue that launches her unknowingly into the new game. And though she is just getting to know her new home city of San Francisco, she's racing against the clock because she's not the only one who is on the trail of Griswold's next prize and those people aren't playing around.

This was such a fun book that I kept trying to pick it up again for days after I finished it. A side plot is that Emily's family moves frequently and so we get to see how she and her brother deal with that, especially as they get older. But, of course, the book parts of the story were the best and were right up my alley. Bertman's skill at combining regular book nerdery with specific San Franciscan literary history, Edgar Allan Poe lore, and cryptography is exemplary. This is a book that I want to read again already!

And amazingly, there is a real Book Scavenger game starting up! There are less than two dozen books hidden right now in the US but I can only imagine how that number will swell when kids start getting excited after reading this book and then finding out that the game is now real.

Finding that a good read is the best prize,
K

New Release: Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore

You've likely already heard of this unique new novel, Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan, with its glow-in-the-dark cover and its celebration of books. It made a lot of "best of" lists last year and I was very excited to get it for Christmas.

Clay Jannon is an unemployed web designer in San Francisco who happens into a random bookstore, Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore, that has a "help wanted" sign in the window. Without much effort but, perhaps, a bit of destiny, Clay ends up with the night shift at the bookstore. It's a mysterious place with regular books in the front and towering shelves of strange volumes in the back. What those books are for and what the bizarre customers who come in at all hours are after is for the reader to discover alongside Clay.

I'll be honest and say that I really liked this book but didn't love it. I can't put my finger on it but there was something missing from it. Maybe it was heart? Most of the character interactions were plot-advancing with little character building. I also thought the Google fandom was a bit strong. It reminded me of Microserfs by Douglas Coupland in its attempt to humanize a corporation. But, where Microserfs was able to portray its employees as hard-working, barefoot, Lego-loving nerds, this story gave the impression that Google employees are overworked, obsessive-compulsive misfits who have every moment of every day, down to what nutrients they eat, micromanaged by their employer. It made me a bit sad. While this novel was seemingly meant to celebrate intelligence and individuality--the soul, if you will--it just served to reinforce the loss of such things in today's corporate world, regardless of the outward face they put on. Still, there were some unique and unforgettable characters and events in the book and overall I enjoyed reading it. I just wish it had been a bit, well, more.

Finding the soul of each book,
K