Blog from the Windowsill

found art

2009-11-07T23:50:00.000-08:00

I enjoy reading "what was that book?" sites, except I am often baffled by the incredible illiteracy displayed by the people asking. It's hard to believe that some of them have ever actually read a book. But I just now got it. The lack of punctuation and run-on sentences and ungrammatically jumbled together bits of information... it's all a (subconscious?) representation of the memory itself, in its randomness and vagueness. As if by putting forth the memory as close to how it appears to them as possible, it might strike a chord more in a reader. I doubt it works, but it's kind of beautiful in a strange way.

Speaking of Jean Webster

2009-10-21T16:04:00.000-07:00

as I was, once upon a time, I just started The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society and I suspect the authors are channeling her. Will be interesting to see where it goes.

(I see that Nancy Pearl sees more of a Helene Hanff thing going on. That's good too.)

Another reason people write fanfic?

2009-10-10T10:23:00.000-07:00

I reread Jean Webster's Dear Enemy the other day -- it's hard to judge a book you've loved for around 30 years, but I think it hold up tremendously well despite being around a hundred years or so old -- and got a craving to reread just the ending of Daddy-Long-Legs. And when I did, I noticed something I don't think I've ever noticed before.

Judy, the heroine of DDL, is a dedicated writer and has just published a book as that story ends. Judy is a prominent character in DE -- both books are in epistolary form and most of the letters written in DE are written to her. We hear a fair bit of commentary about her happy marriage, her travels with her charming husband, her baby daughter... and not one word about her book or her writing. It's like that aspect of her life completely disappeared after the happy ending of DDL.

This seems particularly odd considering that Jean Webster was a woman writer herself and that Dear Enemy is about a woman who loves her work and it is very clear at the end that she has every intention of continuing it after marriage.

Daddy-Long-Legs could be said to have some fairy-tale-like aspects, but it never felt like a fantasy to me. Judy is so well drawn, so honest and thoughtful and passionate about life. I don't like thinking of her own creator as writing her off as a fairytale princess who never wants to do anything anymore but live happily ever after.

Reading with Ben - Poetry Saturday

2009-10-03T20:49:00.000-07:00

My son tends to find his own books, and very selectively too, so it was a little thrill to see him reading something I'd put on his shelves, Making Friends with Frankenstein. Tonight his dad was out of town, so rather than the usual installment of Harry Potter with voices, I picked up MFwF and read him some of it. What a fascinating experience it is to read comic poetry with a highly intelligent autistic child. He wanted me to explain many of the jokes, especially the puns, but then he found them just hilarious.

He's reading to himself now and I can hear almost constant laughter.

It doesn't seem to be in print at the moment, but used copies abound. My original review:

Making Friends With Frankenstein written and illustrated by Colin McNaughton. Candlewick, 1994 (1-56402-308-7) $19.95; 2001 (0-7636-1552-8) $4.99 pb

The gross, grisly, subversive and wickedly amusing atmosphere of children's playground verses is perfectly captured in this original collection of "monstrous poems and pictures." By turns gruesome, malevolent and cynical--but always gleeful--Making Friends With Frankenstein is delightfully shocking and hysterically funny. The cartoony pictures are an excellent match for the verses: neither are for the weak of stomach. American readers may be baffled by occasional references to English expressions and culture, but that's no big deal--they'll still devour this book and scream for more.

© 2009 Wendy E. Betts

I dunno, this might be better than what they actually did do

2009-09-09T15:05:00.000-07:00

xkcd on filmed children's classics.

review: Violet

2009-09-07T20:27:00.000-07:00

Violet by Tania Duprey Stehlik. Illustrated by Vanja Buleta Javanovic. Second Story Press, 2009 (978-1897187-60-9) $14.95

I couldn't get a cover illustration for Violet, but here's a book trailer that gives a sense of the illustrations. It's a very eye-catching book, with a spiky haired, elongated heroine and some seriously surreal backgrounds; the overall effect is sometimes childlike, sometimes pretty, and occasionally even a bit creepy in a rather Coraline-esque way. It sorts of makes sense when you realize that Violet is set in an alternate world, one in which people are red and blue and yellow--and in Violet's case, violet.

A simple story, Violet is about Violet's first day at a new school. She's pretty nervous about fitting in, but everything goes fine. Then when her dad comes to pick her up, a girl from her class is puzzled: "Your dad is BLUE??!" Violet's never thought about it before, but now she wonders. "Mom was red. Dad was blue. So, why wasn't she red or blue? Come to think of it, all her red friends had red parents. Her yellow friends had yellow parents. Her blue friends had blue parents. So why was she purple?"

When she gets home, Violet's mom shows her how mixing blue and red makes "a lovely purply-violet" and tells her that "people come in a whole rainbow of beautiful colors." (Only the colorful hands of the adults are shown, another piece of the overall offbeat look of the book.) And the next day, when a boy is puzzled by her red mom, she says proudly, "My mom is red, my dad is blue, and I... am Violet!"

I'm torn between thinking that Violet looks awesome, and that it's great to see a messagey sort of book with such unusual and interesting illustrations, and thinking that it's kind of an odd fit with the text, which is so matter of fact. In a way, of the two of them the book trailer is more interesting than the actual book. Which is not to say that a straightforward book on this subject isn't welcome, especially one that is not heavily didactic; I just wonder if the kind of kids who appreciate a straightforward story might also prefer more straightforward illustrations. Like Violet, I feel a little mixed.. but overall, I like the book enough to hope it finds its audience. (4-10)

© 2009 Wendy E. Betts

life imitates art

2009-08-15T12:57:00.000-07:00

Evan, holding his Itouch: "I'm having trouble with the connectivity here."

me, holding my book: "Funny, I never have any problem with my connectivity."

Hey, I think we just lived an Unshelved strip.

what would he do without me?

2009-08-12T15:49:00.000-07:00

Evan: "I never got this joke before but now I do."

it's getting ugly out there...

2009-08-06T10:17:00.000-07:00

Simon and Schuster is offering a free PDF download of Scott Westerfeld's Uglies if you sign up for their mailing list.

that sound you just heard was my head exploding

2009-08-02T14:28:00.000-07:00

Can't have the wrong type of people using the library.

And Tango Goes Boom!

2009-07-18T10:07:00.001-07:00

"Unshelved" makes a point about our National book banning priorities. Or something.

practically the only area of pop culture I'm informed about...

2009-07-16T10:59:00.000-07:00

Evan: I don't get this "glitter bacon" joke.

me: It's a reference to Twilight. Edward the vampire glitters in the sun.

Evan: He... glitters.

me: Yup.

Evan: So... he's My Little Pony.

me: Essentially, yes. In fact, that would explain a lot.

2009-07-13T12:28:00.000-07:00

Big, Bigger, Biggest written and illustrated by Nancy Coffelt. Henry Holt, 2009 (978-0-8050-8089-6) $16.95

From its small format and laughing hippo cover, you'd expect this to be a pretty standard simple toddler book, and for the most part it is. But language lovers will find treats far beyond the usual fare, with unexpected words like "rapacious," "viscous" and "somnolent." Adults reading aloud could also dig up words to introduce like "superlatives," "synonyms," and "antonyms," if they like.

Each page features a different animal, who tells us a little about itself: "I'm slow," says the turtle. "I'm plodding. I'm languid. I'm ponderous." But the sloth is slower: "I'm poky. I'm laggard, I'm slothful." And the slug tops them all as the slowest: "I'm sluggish. I'm lethargic. I'm lackadaisical!" The topics are big/small, fast/slow, hungry, slimy and sleepy, so it's not completely symmetrical.

Illustrations are basic but animated, showing little scenes of the boldly outlined animals against colored backgrounds; the simplicity is an effective counterpoint to the complicated words. An excellent book for introducing concepts as well as stretching verbal horizons. (2-4)

© 2009 Wendy E. Betts

because there's not enough accidental ugliness in the world...

2009-07-07T16:27:00.001-07:00

... let's help create some on purpose! Add your suggestions for The Most Awesomely Bad SFF Cover in the World!

Here's a little something to inspire you.

bow chicka wow

2009-07-05T17:56:00.001-07:00

Over at "Confessions of a Would-Be Writer," Lynn M defies popular opinion to hope for a little more couple action in the next Harry Potter movie.

I'm not enough of a fan to have an opinion, but I think she makes an interesting case.

ah, those little echoes

2009-07-01T18:31:00.000-07:00

I love today's Unshelved. I think that character is just naturally like that; I myself had to consciously curb my cursing tendency when I worked at the library. I usually went with "D'oh!"

add it up

2009-06-26T10:51:00.000-07:00

If you have a child in school, you must read A Mathematician's Lament; it is very long, but so brilliant. I particularly like the section High School Geometry: Instrument of the Devil. ("nothing is more mystifying than a proof of the obvious" -- oh my God, yes.)

Willy Vs. Harry

2009-06-25T17:04:00.000-07:00

Via Blog of a Bookslut, J.K. Rowling has been accused of plagiarism by the estate of author Adrian Jacobs. Having never heard of Jacobs, I did some googling and found some of the most fascinatingly incoherent prose I've ever encountered.

I confess, it's hard for me to imagine anyone plowing through this book even in order to steal snippets of ideas from it. Can't wait to see how this plays out in court.

tell me about it

2009-06-08T11:16:00.000-07:00

Finally had time to read some of the "Battle of the Books" Brouhaha over The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks and it seems to basically come down to this: Some people love an omniscient narrative voice. Some people hate it.

I'm starting to really loathe the phrase "show, don't tell." Telling can be damn fine; telling can be fabulous. The Man in the Ceiling by Jules Feiffer is another obvious example.

I don't think it would bother me if it genuinely seemed a matter of personal taste, rather than a matter of people being irked by something they've been taught to be irked by.

watching "the Big Bang Theory"

2009-06-07T23:29:00.000-07:00

and thinking I should change my Blogger name to "whiny hyper-neurotic snot web."

I love this show. I love Sheldon. He reminds me a tiny bit of my son. And a tiny bit of myself. And a lot of a guy I know who's a total Salsa Geek. They come in many forms...

48 Hrs - I Be Done

2009-06-07T19:39:00.000-07:00

My Finish Line Post.

I am So. Tired. Too tired even to check over my math, though I keep wishing I could make it come in over 29 hours, since everyone seemed to do 29 hours. Possibly everyone else is rounding. Can I round?

Anyway, the final results are:

Reading: 25 hours, 14 minutes
Blogging: 2 hours, 44 minutes
Reading Blogs/Commenting: 53 minutes

For a grand total of: 28 hours, 51 minutes. I think. I'm really, really tired. Did I mention I was tired?

Oh, I forgot to say how many books. Uh, I didn't keep track. I think it was 7 complete books, most of an 8th I had already started, a portion of a 9th I didn't get to finish, and about 2 pages of one that I didn't get into. Okay, I checked and that's right.

So what did you learn, Dorothy? Well, this year was the most fun ever. I've never had such a good time getting funky and exhausted--at least, not all by myself. Really making it a priority made it a much more powerful experience. The community aspect was very refreshing, too. It felt great to hear from other people who were going through this same peculiar experience.

I spent much less time blogging this year--previously, I think I wrote about as much as I read. That was fine...I wrote when I felt like it, didn't when I didn't. It was nice to just go with the flow. But also good to really focus on the reading. I'm very pleased that not only was this a personal best, but I read, just read, for over 24 of the hours. Half of the challenge.

Just some random thoughts on the books I didn't mention before:

1) There was a typo in David Inside Out that gave me the impression the author had originally written it in the third person and then changed it. I have nothing meaningful to say about that, I just thought it was interesting. I think it probably worked better in the first person than it would have in the third, though just guessing, of course.

2) SPOILER for How to Ditch Your Fairy - is it just me, or was that ending kind of whack? I mean, she realized it was no fun to have a boy like you when it was your fairy making him a zombie love slave. But she's perfectly fine with having a fairy that makes her better in sports? I suppose since it's generally accepted that all the most talented people in her society have fairies making it happen for them, it wouldn't occur to most people to question it. But it seems bizarre, in context.

Oh, I also forgot to say which book I'd liked the best. The Disreputable History of Frankie Landua-Banks was unquestionably the star act. Fantastic book. I pretty much enjoyed everything I read, except for a good portion of The Awakening.

So, I am done. My thanks to my wonderful husband, who put up with this, and my fabulous son, who only startled me out of my skin by yelling "Boo!" while I was reading a couple of times.

48 Hrs - Slam

2009-06-07T14:00:00.001-07:00

Slam by Nick Hornby

I didn't get that far in this one before my time ran out. It seems very well written, though.

So I'm done! Kind of nice to have finished while other people are still going -- I can spend some time on other blogs while half my brain isn't elsewhere.

I will write my official finish line post later -- for now I have a really strong desire to water the plants and do the laundry and watch a couple of episodes of "the Big Bang Theory" and eat something other than cashews.

R: 40 minutes
B: n/a
RB: 3 minutes

48 Hrs - Stargazer

2009-06-07T11:07:00.001-07:00

Stargazer by Claudia Gray. Sequel to Evernight

Aaaaand, here comes the separation and love triangle! I hated it in the "Twilight" series, but it's kind of working for me here. Perhaps because the hero of these books, Lucas, is such a cardboard cut-out I don't have much emotion invested in whether the heroine winds up with him anyway. The other guy is actually a lot more interesting.

This was another engrossing read. The world building isn't spectacular, but there are some interesting supernatural conflicts and moral dilemmas raised and not yet completely answered. And here's a big plus... stuff happens. The characters are actually in a very different place when the story ends than when it began. I will be seriously pissed if the author finds a way to undo that in the next book.

R: 3 hours, 20 minutes
B: 8 minutes
RB: 9 minutes

48 Hrs - Evernight

2009-06-06T23:44:00.001-07:00

Evernight by Claudia Gray

From the start, everything about this book -- the title, the structure, the narrator -- simply screamed "I wanna be Twilight!" But there is a twist, and though it's an obvious one, it's also fairly well thought out and effective. The story will never win awards for lyrical writing or strong characterizations, but it's smooth and very absorbing and after awhile I stopped making comparisons and just enjoyed it. Should appeal to most readers who like star-crossed lover stories with a touch of creepy.

R: 3 hours, 6 minutes
B: 14 minutes
RB: 14 minutes

48 Hrs - The Game of Love, part III

2009-06-06T21:56:00.000-07:00

Phew! Edith Layton has been well and truly commemorated by me. A good book - and so much of it!

R: 3 hours, 40 minutes (!)
B: 1 minute
RB: 4 minutes