The Pineapple Diary

Pocketful of Names

Having worked without a break for a few weeks, I luxuriously spent last night and this morning to read. I had started Pocketful of Names by Joe Coomer last week and really wanted to just sit and get lost inside the story. I've read most of Coomer's books, the first when I first moved to NH nearly 6 years ago (that long ago, really?). He lives in Maine half the year, and several of his book are set in Maine and New Hampshire. I know it's terrible but I don't often like to think of authors as actual people who imagine characters, especially when the characters are so real and memorable. I can't help but wonder about his life and what inspires him to write stories about artists, and women, and the ocean. It's magical that these stories come from one person, one life.

It was just a beautiful book. It made me think about how I spend my time as an artist compared to the main character, Hannah. She spends many years alone on an island, creating art with few distractions or inspirations but for her environment. It made me think about routine, inspiration, love, and isolation from people and from nature. I will say nothing more about the story. It's meant to be read and enjoyed, page by page, not summarized.

Recently read...

Between a long flight to Seattle and a renewed interest from the NY SCBWI conference, I've managed to get into a rhythm of reading once again. Here are a few quick reviews (for what my unprofessional reviews might be worth!):

The Spiderwick Chronicles: The Field Guide Not the most emotionally charged read, but seemed like a good read for young boys. I'll have to check with my nephew who got this for his birthday. I'm looking forward to the next few books on my next trip to the library.

The Higher Power of Lucky I absolutely LOVED this book. It felt really unique and definitely pulled at the heartstrings. I can see why this won the Newberry. I can't see why it was controversial AT ALL! A nice book to read together with a child I think.

The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big Round Things I really tore through this. It's the least relevant reading in terms of 'research' for me but I was really intrigued by Carolyn Mackler after hearing her speak at the conference. I definitely understand why this would be a controversial book, I was even a little surprised at one major plot development and the graphic description of the main character's make-out sessions. Realistically, kids today know more at a younger age so it's not a bad thing. Especially when the characters and situations are painted so honestly. I think teens NEED books like this, especially reluctant readers.

The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane I really didn't care for Tale of Despereaux so at a friend's suggestion I tried this book by Kate DiCamillo. I thought it had a similar vibe to Despereaux, something that twinges at me that I just don't like - an extremity of emotion/language perhaps? Her books remind me of old fables and teaching tales (the little matchgirl or baba yaga comes to mind) that teach by fear. I suppose it's a refreshing change from saccharin stories, I normally LIKE dark tales even for children... The story did win me over with it's charming secondary characters. I also really liked the illustrations.

Children's Book Week, part 2

Here are more books, read in the spirit of Children's Book Week!

Down to the Sea with Mr. Magee Written and Illustrated by Chris Van Dusen A dramatic and silly (but not simplistic!) rhyming book with retro-influenced illustrations that glow. Next up, A Camping Spree with Mr. Magee

The Tale of Despereaux Written by Kate DiCamillo and Illustrated by Timothy Basil Ering After hearing so much about this book, I finally picked it up at the library. It's an interesting story with a focus on dark and light, literally and of human (and mouse, and rat!) nature. I liked that the author directed things to the reader at times and put forth challenging words and concepts. I was a little disappointed that we switched our main character so often but it seemed necessary to the plot. I will keep reading more work by Kate DiCamillo because she has been so highly praised but something about this whole book and particularly the ending didn't feel satisfying. Maybe I'm just too old and a child of the right age would feel like what they got was 'enough'.

Fiona's Luck Written by Teresa Bateman and Illustrated by Kelly Murphy A beautifully illustrated picture book, a bit of a new fairy tale centered on early Ireland and leprechauns. A very smart young lady has a plan for renewing luck to the people by gambling with leprechauns. I love how well the illustrations suit the folktale nature of the story and the represent Ireland during what I presume is the potato famine.

Enjoy the rest of Children's Book Week!

Children's Book Week

Since this is Children's Book Week, I thought I'd share some books I've been reading. I started looking at chapter books and middle grade books this week. I was surprised at how varied the amount of illustration can be in these, some of them seeming to be more like picture books with lengthy text.

Zoe Sophia's Scrapbook - An Adventure in Venice Written by Claudia Mauner and Elisa Smalley. Illustrated by Claudia Mauner. A little girl travels to Venice to visit her Aunt. Written ala journal/scrapbook entries. If I read this as a child, I would dream of visiting Venice. Even as an adult it made me dream of it... I love stories that broaden the mind to other cultures, food, people, cities, etc.

26 Fairmont Avenue Written and Illustrated by Tomie dePaola This is the first in a series of chapter books, all about the experiences of young Tomie dePaola. I really loved this. They transport the reader to the late 30's and early 40's. I've heard Tomie speak a few times now and knew of these books. They just beg to be read aloud, with a bit of Tomie's flair for the dramatic! I'll definitely be checking out more books in this series.

I Can Fly Written by Ruth Krauss and Illustrated by Mary Blair First, this book is beautifully illustrated by Mary Blair, well-know illustrator of early Disney films. Second, the story holds up wonderfully, originally published in 1951. It's adventurous and bold, perfect for very young children.

The House that Jill Built Written by Phyllis Root and Illustrated by Delphine Durand A fun pop-up book that puts a feminine twist to the old story 'The House that Jack Built'. The illustrations are really unique and colorful with layers (literally) of built in humor with lots of doors to open throughout. The fun is in seeing how the house transforms and what each of the characters is up to next.

OK, I'll save the next batch for later this week. Get thee to a library! Read more about Children's Book Week here.

Summer Book Recap

Before I start up with a new pile of books that I got for my birthday (Thanks Mom!), I thought I'd briefly recap what I read (or reread as is the case with most) this summer:

The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros: A short, light read. Vaguely reminiscent of Ursula Hegi's Floating in my Mother's Palm (one of my all-time favorite books) Coming-of-age stories are always a bit hard to swallow, filled with awkwardness and pain but it has it's shining moments.
   
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix: I just HAD to reread this before seeing the film! I did like the fifth movie better than the fourth which is odd because it's the reverse of my preference of the books themselves.

Eat Pray Love by Elizabeth Gilbert: A beautiful book. The perfect thing to read when traveling solo cross-country to a new place, which is when I read this. It touched upon a lot of my own personal beliefs about God and spirituality. A book I will re-read many times I'm sure.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince: OK, I actually delayed reading the last HP because I just couldn't skip refreshing my memory on all the details in #6. These books really did improve as the series progressed.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows:  I know it's been ages and everyone shared their opinions. I loved this book. There were so many touching moments, a few goodbyes, and a lot of anxiety! My only criticism is that I almost could have done without the fast-forward at the end. It was well done but it felt like JK Rowling really wanted to put this thing to bed and tie it all up. I'll re-read this soon, and more slowly!

Watership Down by Richard Adams: The first time I read this I did not appreciate nor enjoy it. I might even admit to having watched the movie just to get through a book report... I really loved reading this as an adult. I took my time. I understood the metaphors. I read the footnotes! This story is timeless and beautiful.

Tales of the City by Armistead Maupin: I admit I bought this 90% because of the beautiful cover art. It's a terrible habit, I know. I thought this would be a fun airplane read and it just never happened. It took forever for me to get into this and I'm almost happy I'm done with it. Set in 1960's San Francisco this is a campy romance book too full of dated references for my taste. I really was lost half the time between obscure restaurant names and actual character names. It made me wish I lived in the 60's only to really enjoy this 6 part series. If I ever catch the miniseries they made of this I'd love to see how it all plays out on the screen.

The Dante Club

I thought I would share a short summary of books that I read this summer. I'm working my way back into reading 'adult' books having spent way too long just reading books for kids. The last book I read (reread, actually) before this was Harry Potter 5 in preparation for the movie.

The Dante Club, by Matthew Pearl

At the time I bought this I was looking for something different. Having read and enjoyed a few Caleb Carr books I thought another murder-mystery set in late 1800's Boston (Carr's were set in NYC) would be a good read. I typically do NOT enjoy historical novels but mixed with local interest and a creepy murder-mystery I can dig right in. That being said, I had a hard time getting past the first 50 pages, partly because of the long list of seemingly dry characters to absorb. They develop nicely once the story set-up is out of the way.

While the novel revolves around Dante's Inferno and a host of Boston's famous writers and poets, the fact that I knew nothing of them did not get in the way of enjoying this book. In fact, I will likely read Dante soon. The mystery is long and winding and I can honestly say that I did not guess the murderer's identity. It's definitely gruesome but not without good reason. The ending was well crafted and motives were fully explained with a great back-story. There's nothing worse than a murder-mystery where it seems the author could pick any number of people to 'play' the murderer in the final hour. This is not the case here, with the murderer fitting into the story all along the way.

I will definitely be looking forward to Matthew Pearl's next novel, The Poe Shadow, due out this summer.

A lighter read is up next, The House on Mango Street, as recommended by my friend Jen.