Monthly Archives: May 2017

Dive Into Reading

, , ,

Jane YolenI’ve been absolutely hooked by underwater sea creatures as of late*, ranging from molluscs bearing their beautiful shells to the octopuses, as pictured on the cover above (except that’s actually not very wide a range at all: octopuses/octopodes are molluscs – they’ve simply lost their shells a while back). The sea slugs and snails are also quite a sight, with an amazing range of patterns that adorn their bodies, and an equally wide range of roles they play in the ocean. And then the ROM Blue Whale exhibit pops up (which Lily blogged about previously). Followed by The Stranded Whale popping up in my periphery while I was looking for some picture books on death (of which Duck, Death and the Tulip was a part). I think the universe is telling me something. So I dove into reading about marine creatures (I have yet to surface, actually). Instead of posting a disproportionate number of reviews of books about oceanic dwellers, I figured it would make more sense (and be easier to follow) if I were to organize it into a series, so look out for more Dive into Reading posts!

I’ll be starting off with these three, which are more general books about ocean life, before moving onto other topics (see way down below, after the cut, for a list of what’s the come):

  1. Do Whales Get the Bends? by Tony Rice
  2. Sex, Drugs and Sea Slime by Ellen Prager
  3. The Extreme Life of the Sea by Stephen R. Palumbi & Anthony R. Palumbi

Also, just a quick note so everyone knows where I’m coming from and how that affects my reading of these (and following posts about the oceans and their inhabitants): I’ve read at least a good handful of books in this area, and by the time you read 3-4 books that focus either generally (as below) or otherwise (as I will cover later) on ocean life, you’ll notice some repetition and similarities in both the method of organization as well as the content covered. If you’ve never delved into this topic before, don’t let my comments about some of these titles not being in-depth enough for myself stop you! I have learned something new with each of these titles, so here’s to hoping you will, too! Continue reading →

Pinocchio Post-Pinocchio

, , ,

Scott William CarterFairytales generally end the same way: happily ever after. But I’ve never been able to help but feel that it’s a bit of a stretch to ask me to actually believe that they do just sort of float through life happily ever after, so I love seeing follow-ups to, and riffs off of, some of the more popular traditional fairytales!

In Wooden Bones, Scott William Carter explores concerns I’d say were noticeably absent in the original Pinocchio by Carlo Collodi – why being a real boy is necessarily better than being a wooden puppet, for example*, or developing a concept of identity that is not dependent upon being a boy of flesh and bone – while still adhering more or less to the fairytale structure. Pino, the boy formerly known as Pinocchio (because Pinocchio is too long and cumbersome for everyday use, according to Gepetto), discovers that apart from just being a magical boy, in the sense that he became a real boy only with the aid of magic, he truly is a magical boy, in that unlike regular real boys, he has magical powers.

Of course, these magical powers only bring him trouble (as well as helping him get out of trouble by digging himself a bigger hole), but the trouble is what prompts him to come to the realization that it doesn’t matter whether he’s a real boy or a wooden puppet boy: he’s Pinocchio, and perhaps more importantly, Gepetto won’t love him any less for being one or the other. Continue reading →

A Million Little Things by Susan Mallery

, , , ,

cover of bookI just finished Susan Mallery’s A Million Little Things, and found it to be a very appropriate read over the Mother’s Day weekend. This story surrounds three women’s personal stories of grief, family, romance and difficult choices. The story starts off with Zoe who gets trapped in an attic and begins to think of the choices she made in her life, such as changing her career to satisfy someone she thought she loved. Zoe’s best friend, Jen, is struggling as a first-time mom hovering over her toddler son and constantly worrying that he hasn’t spoken a word yet. Finally, Jen’s mom and Zoe’s friend, Pam, cannot seem to move on from her late husband and rejects any idea of falling in love again. These women’s stories intertwine with each other’s as they all have a kind of relationship with one another. Because of these intertwined stories, I was never left wondering what was happening to any character at a particular time. Continue reading →