Review: "Kitchen"

Kitchen by Banana Yoshimoto
5 out of 5 stars

I'm not sure where I heard of this book (I need to start tracking that), but I know it came highly recommended and had been on my to-buy list for a while when I finally found it one day at HPB. And I'll admit, the thing I liked the most about the book at first was the title and author. I dare you to say "Banana Yoshimoto" and not smile. But hey, if that's what got me to read the book, then I'm okay with it! The book itself is pleasing too...it's the perfect sized paperback to slip in your purse or bag, slightly floppy, with an inside flap front & back, and the uneven pages that make the edges feely.

This was truly a magical little book. I actually went back after I finished it and underlined all my favorite parts and phrases that jumped out at me. I haven't done that since The Book Thief. It's split into two different stories, "Kitchen" and "Moonlight Shadow", but both have similar themes of young people dealing with grief and finding hope in small, seemingly insignificant things. "Kitchen" is about twice as long and my favorite of the two.

Mikage is a young, Japanese woman in her early twenties (maybe mid) and has just lost her last living relative, her grandmother. She doesn't know what to do with herself and can only find comfort in the kitchen, "the place [she] like[s] best in this world...". She has even taken to sleeping in the kitchen at night, lulled to sleep by the humming refrigerator. When Yuichi (I pronounced it Yoochee in my head, don't know if that's right), a young friend of her grandmother's, shows up and asks Mikage to come stay with him and his mother, she agrees.

Yuichi's mother, Eriko, was probably my favorite character. "--the whole of her gave off a marvelous light that seemed to vibrate with life force. She didn't look human. I had never seen anyone like her. There was a warm light, like her afterimage, softly glowing in my heart." Eriko gathers Mikage up into their lives and makes her feel human again. Even with all the hardship Eriko has faced (and there is a lot), she is still an incredible human being. You might think that this is just a fluffy little story, but it's not. There is another moment of loss (not going to spoil it, so don't even try!) around the middle of the story and you begin to feel that loss acutely with the characters. But the hope that Yoshimoto is able to convey thru words is amazing. This is a book I would turn to in the future (way, way in the future I hope) when I have experienced a great loss and do not know how to move on.

As I grow older, much older, I will experience many things, and I will hit rock bottom again and again. Again and again I will suffer; again and again I will get back on my feet. I will not be defeated. I won't let my spirit be destroyed.

So where does the kitchen come in, you ask? Well, besides loving the room, Mikage decides to learn how to cook and begins a scientific study almost of the culinary arts. "The sensation that my brain cells were multiplying was exhilarating." Have you ever had that feeling? I think I get it sometimes while reading...To Kill a Mockingbird gave me that feeling and Cannery Row. I felt it when I came up with the idea for the Anne of Green Gables tote bag I made for a friend, but that was the first time in a very long time I'd felt it while crafting. Which makes me sad. I used to be a Crafter, capital C. Now I just craft, occasionally. Mikage wants to Cook and she finds that she is good at it, excellent almost. And this new talent helps her to move forward and on. "Over and over, we begin again."

"Moonlight Shadow" is a bit darker story and slightly supernatural, but still deals with that lung-crushing, mind-numbing, can't move your legs, feeling of despair and loss. The hope is still there though. "It's all right, it's all right, the day will come when you'll pull out of this." This is a story of how people come to terms with that loss and pull themselves along, whether it's by running for miles every morning or wearing your girlfriend's school uniform (as a male) or believing in miracles.

I hope I've managed to convey the wonder and magic of this little book. I checked out another of her books at the library, Asleep, and I'm really looking forward to seeing if it's as good.

Top Ten Tuesday: My 10 Book Boyfriends

Mmm....boys. :) Today's Top Ten Tuesday is sure to be a yummy one over on The Broke & The Bookish, so let's get started! These are my book boyfriends, in no particular order. Oh wait! To start us off, how about some real life hot guys reading books?? Woo! (Unfortunately, they no longer update but still lots of pages to go thru.)

1. Adrian Ivashkov of Vampire Academy & Bloodlines. I know lots and lots of people will pick Dimitri, but as I've said before, I am Team Adrian all the way.

2. Ron Weasley of Harry Potter. I wouldn't pick Harry because he's all "damaged" and stuff lol. But Ron still has that slight "bad boy, adventurous" edge to him, plus he's funny and cute and has a great family. Wouldn't you love to be included in the Weasley family??

3. Gilbert Blythe of Anne of Green Gables. Seriously. He waits for YEARS for Anne to forgive him one silly mistake and realize she loves him. Ugh, Anne don't be so stoopid!! Speaking of, I've finished books 2 and 3 and should have reviews up for those this week hopefully. :)

4. Etienne St Clair and/or Cricket Bell of course, I had to include the wonderful Stephanie Perkins' boys! And if you don't know why they're included, well 1. For shame!! and 2. Get thyself to a bookstore stat!! :)

5. Joe Fontaine of The Sky is Everywhere. Joe with the mega-watt smile, the lovely eyelashes, the vivacity for life.

6. Shane of Morganville Vampires. I really love Shane, but his last book left me a little scared of where his story is going. Of course, I'm 3 books behind, so maybe that's all been sorted out by now lol.

7. Charlie Shepherd in Talk Nerdy to Me. He's hot, super smart, kind of a nerd, likes to build stuff, rides a motorcycle, and wears leather chaps. Yeah. 

8. Percy Jackson. He's a cool kid, just an average teen thrown into an above-average world. Plus, he's son of Poseidon, so hey! Beach vacations! Lol...

9. Kyle from Beastly. Falling in love with someone for who they are, not what they look like. The ultimate test.

10.Adam in If I Stay & Where She Went. Another one that I know will be on everyone's list :) so I don't need to say why.

Review: "Bad News Ballet Series #1-2"

Bad News Ballet #1: The Terrible Tryouts by Jahnna N Malcolm

4 out of 5 stars

I went to a book fair for my 2 youngest sisters' school district recently and walked out with a plastic bag full of old-school goodies. And I must confess: I haven't put them up on my shelf yet, they're still in the bag on the floor. :( But look at the goodies! I never find any Sweet Valley books at HPB so I snatched up all that I could find there. Plus I got several for giveaways woot. But the ones I was most excited about were these ballet books. When I saw the cover for the first one, I immediately said "Oh my gosh! I remember these!!" I had completely forgotten about them, so it was a pleasant surprise. Have you ever had a book moment like that? You pick one up and the cover triggers a memory and you can remember everything about that moment when you first read it? Yeah, that was me lol.

Anyway, they had a couple but I only picked up the first 2 because I wasn't sure how good they would be. Now I'm wishing I had gotten the rest though, especially when I found out there were only 10. Boo. (I found the list of books on this blog called CliqueyPizza and if you are a child of the 80s, you should go check it out! Lots of trips down memory lane, like this other series I'd forgotten about, Camp Sunnyside Friends!) I also found out they were rereleased in the 90s (not successfully, obviously) under the name Scrambled Legs, which ugh, does not work at all.

Okay, so how are the books themselves? Well, the first is the best probably. (I'd say out of the whole series, even though I haven't read the rest.) The late 80s was a time when they were churning out middle grade series left and right (kind of like dystopian trilogies now!) and some of them worked (ahem, BSC) and some didn't. This was one of the average, middle-of-the-road ones and it's probably a good thing it didn't last too long. Following the formula of the time, this is a series about a specific activity, ballet, a group of friends (usually girls, usually 10-12 years), and their trials and tribulations.

"McGee, Gwen, Mary Bubnik, Zan, and Rocky are five misfit ballerinas." I'm not sure why they call Mary Bubnik by her full name all the time. So, these 5 girls don't really have anything in common, except they were all forced to join a ballet class by overbearing parents. They band together in class when a group of snotty "bunheads" makes fun of them. None of the girls are quitters, so they decide to stick it out, even when they get cast as the rats in the Nutcracker. Lots of hilarity ensues as the girls deal with new steps, ugly costumes, and mean girls. And of course, in the end, they are successful in their performance and the best of friends.

The second book, Battle of the Bunheads, continues to follow the girls at ballet school where they have to deal with their arch-nemesis Courtney Clay and her Bunhead followers. The best part of this story for me though was the side story of Gwen, the chubby redhead, being forced by her mother to buy a bra. "Brassiere. The ugliest, most embarrassing word in the entire English language and Gwen's mother had just said it out loud." Ah, the very special episode of the 80s lol. Remember when Punky Brewster had to ask Henry to get one? They don't really do that special very often anymore, do they? The rest of the girls decide to help Gwen out and go with her to buy one, because that's way less embarrassing than going with your mother. I really liked Gwen's reason for not wanting one though:

"It meant she would have to become a whole different person. First she would have to wear a bra. Then she would get taller. Pretty soon she'd be wearing high heals and nylons and having her hair done once a week, just like her mother. She'd never be able to be just a kid again."

When the girls go to the department store, poor Gwen drags them all over the place, making them hide in the purses, not letting them get off on the "unmentionables" floor when a man gets in the elevator with them, and finally just freaks out when they actually make it to the "foundation garments". It's pretty hilarious. (Again, Punky & Henry in the dept store hah! About 4 min in)  But these 5 girls stick together and they help each other out, even if that means wearing an uncomfortable support garment. ;)

TILT: Book Posters: Little Monsters Edition

I've been saving a few of these prints for a while now, since I took my (unintended) break. But now I'm back, with a shiny new Things I Love Thursday, little girls & monsters edition! Kind of sounds like Lady Gaga right? :)

(as always, if you are the owner of one of these lovely pics 

& do not want your art referenced, please contact me!)

Books Can Take You Anywhere by TheLittleFox --such a pretty little print, don't you think? Click on the link for the full pic, she looks like she's floating away to adventureland.

I <3 Books by Fishcakesoboy --from the description "Educated narwhals love a good novel, doncha know." Lol...love it!

Reading Aloud to a Monster by GenevieveSantos --do you think they're reading Where the Wild Things Are? I love how "life-like" the monster looks. I would name him George. Or Pablo.

Little Lady Godiva by TheArtfulBumblebee --she may be Lady Godiva, but she looks like Pippi Longstocking to me and I love it!! Maybe it's Pippi playing Lady? 

Review: "Saga Vol 1"

Saga: Vol 1 by Brian K Vaughan
4 out of 5 stars

Brian K Vaughan is another one of my favorite graphic novelists. (After Terry Moore and Neil Gaiman, of course.) He has done 2 of my favorite series: Y: The Last Man and Runaways, so when my dad said I needed to read Saga, I agreed readily. He left one important point out though when telling me about it and I'm not going to be mean like him, so I'll tell you right now: Volume 1 ends on a cliffhanger and Volume 2 is not due out until July. He claims he didn't know before he read it...sure. ;) So that said, I would highly recommend this series, but you might want to wait until you can at least have 2 volumes to read.

Many reviewers call this "Romeo & Juliet meet Star Wars" and I'd have to agree with them. The beginning of the story is set up as two star-crossed lovers trying to be together for the sake of their unborn child, but then it's revealed that they are from different worlds. Literally. And those two worlds just happen to be at war with each other. And the two lovers? Soldiers for their individual homes. So yeah, it gets complicated real fast. Not to mention all the supernatural beings: the main male, Marko, has ram horns; the main female, Alana, fairy wings; there's a bounty hunter with a giant cat who can detect lies; dudes with TV's for heads (I'm not sure what their deal is yet); ghost kids; and lots more.

In case you can't tell from the cover, this is not a graphic novel for kids or young teens. The first page is Alana giving birth, graphically. It's got a lot of sex (a sex planet for example) and violence, so if that's going to offend you, I'd skip this one for sure. Besides that, this is a great story with lots of twists and turns. The artwork is really great, too detailed in some spots, but that can't really be considered a complaint, can it? I honestly can't wait for the next volume to come out. :)

Top Ten Tuesday: 10 Books I Most Recommend

It feels good to be doing a Top Ten Tuesday again...I have obviously been in a blogging slump lately, but I feel like I'm moving out of it now. Hopefully. I think. Writing yesterday's review at the library over the weekend was lots of fun (except for the creeper who sat down at my table) and I'm beginning to feel that urge to write ALL THE REVIEWS!! :) Because, uh, I haven't stopped reading in this slump and I now have a huuuuge list of books to review. Heh. Anyway, on to the Top10! These are 10 books that I would absolutely recommend to almost anyone.

1. Harry Potter. I know, I'm so predictable. But seriously, I would recommend it to kids, adults, readers, non-readers, wizards, muggles, anyone.

(want more HP funs? check out my pinterest board!)

2. Anne of Green Gables --definitely the first one, if nothing else. Young girls with big imaginations will love this one.

3. The Thing About Jane Spring --I recommend this one all the time. It's a little-known book but is super cute and I think it would make a great movie. Jane is a no-nonsense lawyer who doesn't understand why she can't "get" a man. After a Doris Day movie marathon, she decides to do a complete overhaul of her life and it goes from there. This book is part of the reason I'm so excited to read Going Vintage, because they sound very similar.

4. Cannery Row --if you're going to read Steinbeck, skip Of Mice and Men and The Pearl...read this one instead. There's no puppies or women getting accidentally killed, no babies getting stung by scorpions, no one shooting their best friends in the back of the head for their own good. You still get the good part of Steinbeck with all the descriptions and feelings but none of the bad Steinbeck.

5. Anna & The French Kiss --one of the best contemporary, young adult, romances around right now. If you haven't read it, here's my non-spoilery review. (And have you been living under an Internet-less rock??) And if you have read it, how about checking out my favorite bits? :)

6. To Kill a Mockingbird --everyone should have/want to read this book. It's still one of the most important and relevant stories young people should hear.

7. The Book Thief --along the same lines as TKAM, this book has such an incredible message. The BEST word shakers were the ones who understood the true power of words...She was renowned as the best word shaker of her region because she knew how powerless a person could be WITHOUT words.

8. The Baby-Sitters Club or Sweet Valley or any books you read as a young child/early teen. :) There's such comfort in knowing a book or series by heart and knowing it will always be there for you. Another one for me would be The Hunky-Dory Dairy. Or maybe Christopher Pike, with his teenage sex and murder books and cheesy, neon, 80s-tastic covers lol.

9. Morganville Vampires --this is one of my favorite supernatural series. Vampires? In Texas? Yes, please! :) And I just realized I am 3 books behind yikes! 

10.Strangers in Paradise --This is truly my favorite graphic novel series and you are missing out if you haven't read it. Terry Moore has a knack for getting into your heart and twisting it all up. He is a master storyteller of relationships, love, hate, women, revenge, deceit, and so much more. Katchoo and Francine will be some of your most loved characters after this. I highly, highly recommend this one and encourage you to take advantage of the new omnibus set he is releasing in July. You can preorder it on his site and if I had an extra $100, I would order it in a heartbeat. 

Review: "Twelfth Night" Classic a Month #3.2013

Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare
3 out of 5 stars

This is another classic that I was kind of iffy about. I picked it because of Just One Day (and the movie She's the Man, but sshh, let's ignore that!) and I wanted to branch out and try a play again. Well, let me just say this first: Shakespeare is hard to read. The dude likes to make up his own words and phrases and sometimes they work... "If music be the food of love, play on, 
Give me excess of it; that, surfeiting,
The appetite may sicken and so die."

And sometimes...they don't. "Whoe'er I woo, myself would be his wife." Yeah, I'm not sure what that means. So, not only do you have to deal with his made-up words, but you also have to read the old English style and figure out if he is actually being dirty when he says "I hope to see a housewife take thee between her legs and spin it off." Yeah, I'm pretty sure he is lol. Pervert. Luckily, I knew the basic story so it wasn't too hard. But I totally get why kids complain so much about reading Shakespeare. This play is meant to be one of his great comedies and yeah, I giggled a little, but I don't think you can just read a Shakespeare play thru once and expect to get it. I think you really need to immerse yourself, reading it several times, watching plays or adaptations, etc...

So what is this play actually about? Well, I guess it's about love but also about trickery and deceit. Viola is a young woman who has just lost her brother in a shipwreck (but not really, he's alive and thinks he lost HER) and decides to dress up as a man to work for this Duke Orsino guy. Why, I have no idea. Orsino is in love with this chick Olivia, who also lost her brother to a shipwreck, but she wants nothing to do with him. Orsino sends Viola (as a man) to try and get on Olivia's good side in his favor. Olivia starts to fall in love with Viola as a man, Viola as a woman starts to fall in love with Orsino, and it's all just super confusing. Then Viola's brother, Sebastian, shows up and somehow ends up married to Olivia, and everything blows up in the end. But, somehow, everyone is happy.

Then there's this annoying dude, Malvolio, that works for Olivia. Olivia's maid and other people in waiting decide to play a trick on Malvolio and make him think Olivia is in love with him. They make him wear these hideous yellow stockings and smile like a lunatic all the time around her and she eventually has him committed, because she has no idea what is going on and thinks he's become unhinged. He is, obviously, super pissed, and vows revenge on everyone. And that's how the play ends. Weird right?

There's also this odd part between the clown/fool and a Sir Toby where they are singing and it seriously reminded me of Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody. I don't know why, but the wording and writing style was so similar, I actually looked it up to see if Freddie Prince was influenced by Shakespeare. (He wasn't.) Check it out:

Sir Toby: (singing) Shall I bid him go?
Clown: What an if you do?
Sir Toby: Shall I bid him go, and spare not?
Clown: O, no, no, no, you dare not.

I'm not crazy right? That totally sounds similar? And let's end on a great quote that I was totally unaware originated with Shakespeare: "Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them."