A Review of Lisa Yee's: Batgirl at Super Hero High (audiobook)

My now six-year-old has been asking for a Batgirl birthday party for the last six months, so we've definitely had Batgirl on the brain over here. Her sisters are likewise obsessed with superheroes (my two-year-old is currently walking around in a Wonder Woman dress she put on all by herself), so I knew they'd all be interested in an audio book about Batgirl. And as a mom of three daughters, I'm always on the lookout for suitable "girl power" books that teach good values, portray women and girls as strong and capable, and avoid male-bashing.


Lisa Yee's Batgirl at Super Hero High is about Barbara Gordon, a.k.a Batgirl, trying to fit in at her new school, Super Hero High, find a good balance in her relationship with her overprotective father, and figure out if someone who wasn't born super can truly become a superhero.

The audio book is read by Mae Whitman, and she does a good job. One could wish for a little bit more animation at some points, but on the whole she has a clear, strong voice that is easy to listen to - and believe me, as someone who has quit listening to an audio book because the reader gave characters really annoying voices, this is important.

The story made a good audio book. There are stories that you find yourself flipping back in the book with a "Say what!?!" as you look for that paragraph that contained some key plot point that the author tucked in surreptitiously, but Batgirl follows a direct narrative that is easy to follow.

The story itself: First of all, you need to be aware that Batgirl at Super Hero High is the third book in the Super Hero High series (a fact that I somehow missed). It is clear from the first chapter that previous events are being built on. Although the author didn't really revisit prior material much, I was still able to follow the story just fine. I enjoyed the positive messages conveyed by the book as it dealt with themes of friendship, parent-child relationships, accepting help, and standing alone. Specific messages I appreciated included:

Children can make their parents better people. Children need to understand that they are a positive and treasured part of their parents lives, and that their parents are trying to be their best selves for their children.

Being a hero is more about strong values than awesome powers. Even the villains have awesome powers, but they aren't using them to serve and protect. The supers embrace a strong moral code, and embody principles like courage, conviction, honor, perseverance, compassion, and loyalty.

Interdependence is not dependence. I love the strong message that teamwork is not a weakness on the journey to becoming strong and independent. It's okay to ask for help, and it's okay to offer help, and it's okay to ask for the opportunity to try on your own.

What did I not like? There was one moment in the book that jarred me strongly. Roughly paraphrased, the principal tells Batgirl that Super Hero High is different from regular high school because the supers are going to be leaders, saving lives, and changing the world. I think Susan B. Anthony, Marie Curie, Rosa Parks, and Mother Theresa can all agree that you don't need some special super hero academy to change the world, and in ten years when I have girls in high school, I want them to know they can be strong leaders and change lives for the better in their sphere of influence.

Because I jumped into the series, my next criticism may be unfounded, but there was a lot of name dropping from the DC universe, which can be hard to follow if you're a super hero novice. I found myself thinking, "Yeah...I have no idea who that is," frequently. Also, the mixing of villains and heroes is a little odd - I'm getting a kind of Maleficent vibe from the whole thing, which honestly feels a little unoriginal.

I found the book a light, fun read, and I thought Lisa Yee's portrayal of the villain was really well done, and that the character had a lot of depth. I find myself mildly interested in reading the other stories in the series, especially after the obligatory cliff-hanger at the end of Batgirl.

This book is target to 3rd-7th graders, and I think that's an accurate assessment. My four-year-old didn't like the part "When the bad guy... *insert spoiler here*...which messed everything up for everybody." Which is probably the reaction Ms. Yee was going for, so that was on target, but the girls mostly popped in and out of the room, and didn't listen to a whole lot of the book when it was on. I anticipate they'll like it more when they get a little older, and I may play it again a chapter at a time as we play Legos or something, but for now it wasn't a huge hit with them.

So my recommendation is this: for sure read or listen to the first two books first, but this will be a fun story for any mid-late elementary girl (and maybe boy, although clearly targeting a female demographic) who is interested in super heroes, and it's a good "girl power" novel that won't be incredibly boring for any adult who is reading/listening along with their child.

I received this audiobook from Blogging for Books in exchange for my review. This is my honest opinion about the book. 

A Review Of Christopher Hart's Book, doodletopia Fairies

Christopher Hart’s book doodletopia Fairies is by far my favorite book in the doodletopia series. This may have much to do with the fact that I have always enjoyed fantasy and magical creatures, fairies in particular, so it already had brownie points just for subject matter. It’s been awhile since my last review, but I don’t think I’m imagining that Fairies is more instructional that its predecessors. While still definitely being a guided activity book, there seems to be more actual art education involved.

Hart promises that his book will teach you to “…draw fairy wings, design magical fashions, make flying poses, create charming fairy villages, produce magical effects in your artwork, and more.” p. 7 and jumps right in with his first tip. “Indicating size and scale is another important technique -” p.7 Like, I assume, many others, I often have the most difficulty - when drawing a character - with the side profile. This time, Hart addresses that: “…known as a side view - and “the angle that drives people crazy.” Let’s break down the steps to make it easy to draw.” p. 12. Which he does. Honestly, I think it will continue to be a problem for me, but I’m half a step closer.

In one regard particularly, Hart has held consistent appeal for me, and that is his wit. He is just a funny guy. He continues to joke about his magical ability to imbue his readers with super drawing powers, “Your pencil is your wand. And your eraser is …still just a rubbery thing. But your pencil is a wand.” P.13, and make funny remarks about his characters, “They’re the ones who steal your sunglasses when you’re not looking.” P.7, but I feel like he waxed even more eloquent on this go round. Again, maybe bias owing to my enjoyment of the genre, but Fairies has been funnier to me. My favorite quips?

“Fairies range in age from very young (about 633 years old) to mature (“It would be rude to tell.”)” p. 10

“I flipped through some popular fairy magazines, like Fairy Fitness & Fun, to find insights into what fairies wear. Man, is it tough to read that teensy print” p. 49

“You can create fairy hats from all sorts of things. One of the most popular materials is a flower. Lots of different flowers work. But not dandelions. One good breeze and the hat is gone.” P. 65

“All I’m saying is that the next time you see a tiara on a little kid’s head, be sure to tell them, “That was stolen from a fairy.”” P. 70

“(What time is “yore” anyway? And how does anyone know when it’s a quarter to yore?)” p.                140

One of Hart’s talents is highlighting how positions and shapes impact your impressions of the attitude of the character. In fact, his section headings for “More Fairy Faces” and point blank on the topic: “Oval-Faced Fairies are Fun” p. 18 “Angular-Faced Fairies Are Confident” p. 19 “Round-Faced Fairies are Perfect at Pouting” p. 20 “Young Faces Look Innocent” p. 21. He also has more subtle suggestions for how to convey the characters’ outlook:

“Draw eyes wide, giving her a bubbly appearance.”  p. 10

 “Draw the antennae leaning forward, for a positive look.” P. 35

“Press his arms and legs together for an insecure pose.” P. 43

“These wings may not seem unique at first, but their position is interesting. Both sets of wings are lifted up, which enhances the effect of her cheerful expression.” P. 87

“Notice how the wings are in the “down” position. This placement can be used to show a negative attitude.” P. 108

This book is not a technical drawing book. While there is some flat-out art speak, most of Hart’s advice comes in a far more conversational tone. Topics of art classes are slipped in as a casual aside. I have twenty specific examples of this, but will omit most of them for brevity’s sake. But I will add just a few as supporting evidence. For instance, Hart does not discuss background/foreground, but he does give advice about it: “First draw the ring of flowers, and then the hat. The flowers are the front layer.” p. 68 or “Overlap the mushrooms below her.” p. 97. He doesn’t talk about light sources, but he alludes to it: “Draw a shadow under the fairy to indicate that she’s hovering above the ground.” p. 98. Nor does he talk about diagonal lines being more visually interesting and stimulating than horizontals, but merely suggests, “The horn is such a linear instrument. You either have to position it horizontally or diagonally. I think you’ll find that diagonally is more engaging.” p. 143

He also gets into the physics that make art more convincing, such as being aware of gravity and other forces acting upon your character, such as momentum creating an updraft on a fairy’s wings.

After the promise of malevolent fairies, I was a little disappointed about their treatment in the book. After a promising start (“You may never have actually seen an evil fairy, but you have seen their effects. Why do you think a slice of bread always falls jelly-side down? Evil fairy. Why can you never find your glasses? Evil fairy.” p. 114), just one page of advice - maybe just hints (“Push those eyebrows down - way down!” p. 114), and one page of go to (“Wicked characters drip with evil. So by all means, overdo it!” p. 115)! Maybe there wasn’t a lot to say about it, but I’d have liked to have seen further exploration of the topic.

The girls and I really enjoyed this book, and I would recommend it to anyone whose interests in art and fairies overlap.

I tried to scan my daughter’s adorable artwork, but it turns out she drew too lightly for my scanner, but here’s a page I did.

I received this book from Blogging for Books in exchange for my review. This is my honest opinion about the book.

A Review of Christopher Hart's Book, doodletopia Manga

Christopher Hart's manga book is humorous, the design is engaging, and it is replete with examples of different manga forms, from classic school girl, to chibis, to "super cute animals". There a lot of different drawing prompts and activities, from "make your own bookmark" to "finish this maze."

I see this book as an excellent option for long car/plane rides - assuming that you don't suffer from motion sickness. My children loved this book; the baby scribbled, and the others did a kind of fill in the blank version; eyes on faces, lines on the mazes, words on the stationary activity pages.
I still don't find there to be a lot of drawing instruction in this second book in the doodletopia series. In my view, this book is geared toward those who already have basic drawing skills down. However, I did have an art teacher whose primary piece of advice was "draw what you see," and there is plenty to see.

Do I recommend this book? Sure. It's good clean fun, and as I mentioned before, would be great for times where one is required to sit for an extended period of time. I am especially recommending this book for preteens and early teens, because I think they would derive the most enjoyment from it.

more info: http://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/238090/doodletopia-manga-by-christopher-hart/
author bio:
http://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/authors/74446/christopher-hart/

I received this book from Blogging for Books in exchange for my review. This is my honest opinion about the book.

A Review of Josh Chetwynd's Book, The Field Guide to Sports Metaphors: A Compendium of Competitive Words and Idioms

I give up. Less than thirty pages from the end, I am finally "throwing in the towel" to use a sports term from Josh Chetwynd's book, The Field Guide to Sports Metaphors: A Compendium of Competitive Words and Idioms. I do not care if I ever finish this book.

To give credit where it is due, this book fits my idea of a compendium very well. It is exhaustive. And it is exhausting. I had to make myself read it. But back to giving credit, because I feel like I'm doing Mr. Chetwynd a disservice with my abrupt assessment of his work.

So, what did I like:

Small sparks of humor throughout the book. There is a footnote about a horse named Read the Footnotes. The format. It took me a second to process, but once I got used to it, I enjoyed the delineation between phrases, a double bar with the term bolded and in all caps. It can get a little confusing, since the words sometimes occur right at the top of the page where one might expect to see the book title or chapter name, but once you've read through a few entries, it becomes an easy and convenient way to navigate the book.  And the idioms are arranged by sport, so it's easy to follow. I liked that with each sport Mr. Chetwynd included a contemporary example of a non-sports usage of an idiom pertaining to that sport. It is also obvious that time and research went into this book.

This book bored me. I am a person who enjoys word origins,who also likes playing sports and occasionally watching them. I thought this book would be a good fit for me, but it turned out to be a little too specific for my taste. Many of the phrases are not very widely used in common parlance, nor is there always a very clear definition provided about what its off-the-field meaning was, so it occasionally felt like a dictionary of sports terms; uninteresting to the casual sportsman. Also, some of the terms were used in a way contrary to how I've heard it used in practice. One example from early on in the book is "batting a thousand" or gushing praise for someone's performance in a particular endeavor. However, the only usage I've heard for this term (Occasionally rendered "batting a million.") is an ironic statement indicating the individual's repeated blunders e.g.. accidentally spilling water on your date, after insulting someone who turned out to be a favorite cousin, after arriving late to the date. "Boy, I am really batting a thousand today!"I don't believe this book is ideal for sitting down and reading straight through. It would be more fascinating flipped through at random. Also, the phrases in general aren't super memorable, so if you read through pages at a time, it kind of just blurs together, leaving one with no interesting tidbits to share in random conversation later on.

There is only one person I can think of that I might recommend this book to: my big brother. He is a sports journalist.

I received this book from Blogging for Books in exchange for my review. This is my honest opinion about the book.

A Review of Amily Shen's Coloring Book, Wonderland

I've made a discovery: I don't actually love adult coloring books. I love the idea of them, but when it comes down to it, when I want to relax, I want to keep it simple. And if I'm not trying to relax, but to express myself creatively, I'm going to be doing an original piece.

Having said that, as adult coloring books go, this is a good one.

Amily Shen's Wonderland takes a story most people are familiar with, and re-imagines it as the author's own dream. It harks to Carroll's novel, but is not so much of an Alice retelling, but rather as if the author were forced into Alice's place, rushing through her adventures at a mad and frenzied pace. The story reads like a dream. And I don't mean dreamy; I mean those disjointed dreams where your are standing in one place doing one thing and then suddenly you're somewhere completely diffent, doing something completely else, and you keep running into weirdly impossible people. I'm actually really impressed with the pacing of this story.

The author seems to really hone in on the food aspect, bedecking her pages with treats and sweets. I suppose this only makes sense, as the author appears to have fallen asleep in a bistro. Honestly my favorite part so far has been coloring the caucus race candy page.

The book is also a little bit gimmicky, but in a good way; there's a little bit of look-find action in it, audience participation and some picturebook-ish questions. I think it may hold some appeal for teenagers as well as adults.

I'm not sure how to rate this book, since we have established that I am not enamored of the genre. I will say this, if you google images from this book, you'll see a lot of great work from some incredibly talented people. If you're looking to pour some serious time and talent into this book, it could be perfect for you. If, however, you're just looking for a few minutes to let go, borrow your kid's dollar store animal coloring book. You'll be just as happy.

I'm going to give this book a five, in spite of myself, because this is a coloring book for grown-ups, and for what it is, I think the author did a fantastic job. Ms. Shen can't help it if I'd rather be coloring teddy bears and balloons.

I received this book from Blogging for Books in exchange for my review. This is my honest opinion about the book.

A Review of Maja Säfström's Book, The Illustrated Compendium of Amazing Animal Facts

Maja Säfström, The Illustrated Compendium of Amazing Animal Facts, p.31 (image retrieved from mamamuseme.wordpress.com, 22 April 2016)

The above spread is my favorite image (and fact) from Maja Säfström's book, The Illustrated Compendium of Animal Facts.

Now, I wouldn't call this book so much a compendium, although, by strict definition, it is. I see it more as a random trivia book, accompanied by cute black and white illustrations. Other than being slightly grossed out by some of the facts (Mosquitoes pee on you when they bite (p.26), anyone?), I have no objections to this book - and actually I don't have an objection to that even, just a mild aversion. It is well laid out, with an assortment of facts across a variety of species, and great pictures. The facts are indeed interesting, and the animals quirky and fun. It's a quick read, and it inspires interaction, as you begin looking around for someone to share your new knowledge with. One frequently recurring tidbit that I quite enjoyed was what a group of particular animals is called, my favorite being frogs: a group of frogs is called an army. I can see it. Also literally, because Säfström's illustration includes a group of frogs in army helmets. I really don't have any negative criticism about this book, because it is exactly what it advertises itself to be, and it lives up to expectations. This book is meant to be perused, and joins my list of books I think would be a great addition to waiting rooms of physicians and dentists.

Want more info about Maja Säfström?

• @MajasBok Instagram
• Author Bio

I received this book from Blogging for Books in exchange for my review. This is my honest opinion about the book.

A Review of Ben Hatke's Book, Little Robot

Remember when I said I was obsessed with Ben Hatke's work? This is the little guy that started it all:

benhatke.com

Well, minus the star. I first became aware of Little Robot when it showed up as a lightning deal on Amazon.com. I have a daughter who loves robots, the artwork looked cool and I figured it was worth a go.

I love it. The artwork is fairly glorious. It's faintly reminiscent of Lilo & Stitch, but different enough that you don't feel like he's copying anybody's style. The story is fun. It's about friendship; making new friends, and being a good one. And about love. Loving your friends, and loving humankind...well, robot-kind. But there's an applicable message here! And there are almost no words.

Little Robot is a graphic novel. It is fun to sit down with your little ones and talk about the pictures, and see the story. Little Robot gave me a whole new respect for graphic novels, and art as a literary device. For the most part I've pretty much ignored graphic novels as books for kids who hate reading (I still think they're great for that, by the way), but as an avid and constant reader, I more than enjoyed this book, I adored it.

I immediately proceeded to my local library (well, sort of immediately...I impatiently sent my husband to the library, where he found one, but not both of the Hatke books available, and made him take me to the library a few days later so I could hunt down the other one.) to read more. I pored over his entire blog, inhaling his artwork. I preordered three of Ben Hatke's upcoming books. And I vowed that I will one day own the Zita trilogy (Also amazing...at least one and three are. I didn't notice three wasn't two until I was most of the way through with it...which kind of cleared up my criticism of his plot holes; turns out I had the wrong book! Sadly, my library doesn't have number two. Why?!?), which I'm a little bit obsessed with right now, and Julia's House for Lost Creatures.

If I have any criticism, it would be that you see a lot of the same characters repeated throughout Mr. Hatke's work, and it can make his world seem a little small. But it's actually something fun too, because it's a little bit like playing I Spy.

I was in no way compensated for this review, or my obsession with Mr. Hatke's artwork, but if his publishing company, First Second, ever wants a family-oriented advance copy reader, I would be more than happy to oblige.

A Review of Camilla d'Errico's Book, Pop Painting

I selected this book to read because I found the cover art riveting. I wanted to see more. Which was good, because this book has lots of examples of her work. And overall, I like her paintings. They can be downright fun. Some of her paintings creep me out a little bit...like the girl with a rainbow-leaking hole in her chest. But even when her works make me uncomfortable, they're well done, and not inappropriate. 

That's how I liked her artwork. How did I like her book?

I  enjoyed the author's sense of humor, like her dream of having a nut dispenser for the family of  squirrels living in her fantasy studio (p.36), and funny phrases like "artistic chili for the brain" (p. 35). She has a fun little ink splotch named "Zu" who adds commentary and demonstrates specific points.

 On pp. 43-44 she has some great stuff, i.e. 43 has a good discussion about what composition means, with follow-up advice on 44, such as: remember what part of your painting is going get covered up by the frame. She talks a lot about finding your own stride as an artist. My favorite line in the book is, "You are born an original, don't die a copy (p.13)." Which ironically is derived from a quote (and book) by John Mason, but point well taken.

Oddly enough, I didn't enjoy the second half of her book, where she demonstrates how she does several of her paintings by example. I found it mildly interesting to see how she went from point A to point B, but as an amateur artist, I'm very much about just doing whatever floats my boat. Which is why those of you who apply yourselves and take the time to learn these things are going to be much better artists than I am. I'll try not to be too jealous. My main complaint about the book is that she gets so very specific about her painting tools...I can see people liking this part, because here you're getting recommendations straight from a professional artist, but I'm probably never going to buy them, so finding out how to make those very specific items give the desired effect isn't crucial for me.

Who should be in the market for this book?

Doctors offices. People looking for new books for their end tables. Big fans of Camilla d'Errico. Artists who are really sincere about their craft and always trying to learn something new.

I received this book from Blogging for Books in exchange for my review. This is my honest opinion about the book.

A Letter to Others Who Struggle With Obesity

Dear Obese Stranger,

I too am obese. Last week I was at least 80 lbs. overweight. There are many long and interwoven reasons for being overweight, including genetics and emotional problems, but the short and simple explanation for why I am obese is that I eat too much, and have a fairly inactive lifestyle. Mostly that I eat too much. I think most of us have realized by now that exercise cannot keep up with the massive quantities of calories we put into our bodies. Exercise is incredibly important, and it does help with weight loss, but the main thing is to put fewer calories into our mouths.

Dear Stranger, if you and I were doing that, we wouldn't be obese anymore, but that is a personal and complicated battle we are fighting, and my victory isn't going to be your victory (in more than in the solidarity sense), because you and I are not the same person. So this letter to you isn't about my weight loss tips and hints. It's about what I wish I could say to you.

You are worthy of being loved. The body of proof is out there, and it is a shapely and plus-sized body. If you look around you, you will see many obese people in happy marriages with partners who love and respect them, and think their spouse is the most fun and exciting person they've ever met. And it isn't just fat people finding fat people. My own husband is a handsome, slender, and loving sweetheart, who thinks that a can of peaches for dinner is great as long as he gets his needed caloric intake over all. I'm not saying there aren't shallow people out there out there for whom being overweight is a distinct and immediate turn-off, or that everyone on Earth is going to love you. I am saying that being obese doesn't make anyone unlovable. There are fat people who love fat people. There are skinny people who love fat people. There are fat people who love skinny people. There are skinny people who love skinny people. You aren't somehow the only obese person on the planet that no one will ever love. And friends are no different. Fat people can and do have skinny friends who love and support them, just like they have fat friends who love and support them.

Wear the right clothes. Briefly, don't wear clothing that is so tight that everyone observes every ripple of your fat as you walk. Sure, I mean that. But mostly I mean don't wear shapeless, unattractive clothing that is way too big for you. I once assumed that because I am obese it didn't matter how I dressed because my body was working against me, negating any positive effort I made. Let me point out to you what my sister pointed out to me: we all know plus-sized women who are gorgeous. They are beautiful and elegant and vivacious. They are careful in their grooming, and gifted at assembling glamorous and flattering clothing ensembles. We know well-dressed men with great haircuts and great taste, who are incredibly attractive - who are also overweight. Just like we know people like that who are skinny. They look good, whatever their body type. So don't bust out the Russian circus tent just because you have fat rolls. You'll make a better impression, and, I'm convinced, look less obese if you're wearing the right size and style of clothing for you.

Don't brag about how much you eat, or try to pass yourself off as the resident fatty. Being a positive person is important, and it makes you more likeable, but trying to be "the fat person" isn't positivity or self-acceptance. It's belittling and demeaning to yourself. And it's also an excuse and an alibi for not changing.

Which brings me to the last thing I'd like to say to you right now. Don't be okay with being obese. It isn't who you are. Smart. Funny. Clever. Kind. Be the best things about you. Keep trying to loose weight. Being obese is hurting us, but not because it is making us unlovable, or unattractive. It's hurting us because we're increasing our risk for serious health challenges, as well as creating or exacerbating actual health challenges we're facing right now. It's hurting us because we're missing opportunities: Do not ride this ride? Weight limit x number of pounds? Running and playing actively with our children? Teaching our children how to care for themselves appropriately? Maybe even living to see our children and grandchildren?

Sum up: Don't let obesity stop you from loving and being loved. Don't let obesity stop you from being an attractive person. Don't adopt your obesity as your defining characteristic. Don't stop fighting to be a healthier you.

Sincerely,

Karyn

P.s. Skinny people have insecurities too. Just like fat people. The key word here is people. We are all people, all together on this planet, all God's children. Let's focus on just being people, good people, and cheering each other on.

A Review of Christopher Hart's Book, Doodletopia Cartoons

Christopher Hart's book, Doodletopia Cartoons is a quasi how-to book about drawing cartoons. It is divided into ten sections each featuring cartoons emphasizing different aspects of cartooning followed by drawing exercises to practice said concept.

What do I like about this book? The art. The cartoons have a really fun retro look, and they are well done. The humor. Mr. Hart is a funny man. He promises that  completion of the first chapter will enable you to run for public office and be elected president (p.11), makes unflattering personal remarks about his likely fictitious family (We're talking about you, Aunt Ethel, p.48) , and shares his personal opinion about the Hipster look (pp. 105-107). Pointers. Mr. Hart has helpful advice, e.g. "A small chest with slightly wider hips gives a humorous look to thin characters. (p.50)."

What don't I like about this book? In section 3, Draw the Other Half, Mr. Hart talks about symmetry. I disagree that this is what he's taking about. I think the real concept at issue here is proportion. His pictures are not symmetrical. Although I am giving him kudos for drawing his eyes the same size and shape. It's the other features that are asymmetrical. In his drawing exercises he gives a prompt, the completed picture, and a facing page with half of the picture for the artist to complete. Some of the prompts differ slightly from the half-cartoon, so it can be a minor adjustment if you're basing it off of the prompt. On a whim I completed one of the exercises completely symmetrically...it doesn't work out great. Not horrible. Just not great. I did think the exercises were really excellent practice for getting the proportions right - something I struggle with. My next issue is that I would have preferred maybe a little bit more instruction. Mr. Hart sometimes issues directives that aren't explained; the small chest/wide hips for thin characters is clearly illuminated, but "Draw the eyes on a tilted angle (p.38.)" and "Draw the hair flat on the sides but bumpy at the top (p.34)." work to good effect on the picture, but why and when?

I was going to flat out not recommend this book. Mr. Hart is witty, his art is great, and he has some helpful pointers. But his book, which is about two steps away from being a one-time use book, is retailing for about $17.00.  And although I like the book, for the most part, I think that price point is too high. When you stop and think about the time and expertise that were obviously put into this book, of course it seems completely reasonable. But what we're really looking at here is our budgets, not the artist's. For me to pay $17.00 for a paperback, it's going to be a special occasion or someone who's work I'm obsessed with (like Ben Hatke, but we'll talk about that later.). I give this one caveat: there are about 160 pages in this book. It is the length alone that makes me say, maybe you would be okay forking over the money. The other reason you might pay that is that a number of cartooning books ( many of them written by Christopher Hart) are similarly priced. But as I read and drew in this book, I kept itching to pull out another book. Which I finally did, and confirmed that, yes, I really do love that book. So here is my honest recommendation: Buy the book if you want, but seriously consider additionally or alternatively buying Action Cartooning by Ben Caldwell. It is an amazing resource for anyone truly interested in cartooning. Also take to heart Mr. Caldwell's recommendation that you purchase Atlas of Human Anatomy for the Artist by Stephen Rogers Peck.

I received this book from Blogging for Books in exchange for my review. This is my honest opinion about the book.

A Review of Anne Tyler's book, Vinegar Girl

I'm afraid I'm going to wax long, though perhaps not eloquently, on the subject of this book.

I did a lot of prep work before reading this book. First you need to know that this book Vinegar Girl is part of Hogarth Shakespeare's relaunch of Shakespeare's plays in modern settings, by famous authors. Anne Tyler is a Pulitzer prizewinning author retelling Taming of the Shrew. In preparation for reading this book, I read one of Anne Tyler's other novels (I was previously unacquainted with her work.), Digging to America. I read Taming of the Shrew, its Wikipedia, its cliff notes, and I even looked up an alternate version of the play, Taming of a Shrew, to read its completed induction (the partial induction is the framework of Taming of the Shrew). In addition, I watched McLintock and 10 Things I hate About You, both modern adaptations. I tried to watch the play on film, but I didn't like the suggestive physical humor, so I had to pass on that one.

Vinegar Girl is the story of Kate Battista, a thoroughly independent preschool assistant who manages her father's affairs while he conducts his scientific research. It is also the story of Pyotr Cherbakov, a Russian genius who has come to the states to be a research assistant, and who can't forget the loneliness of growing up as an orphan. With Pyotr's visa expiring soon, he and Dr. Battista decide to ask Kate to help him to adjust his visa status to "married to an American."

Actually, this book reminds me a lot of the movie The Proposal.

I enjoyed the Anne Tyler novel. I didn't enjoy Taming of the Shrew. I remembered liking it as a teenager, but found myself wondering why as I reread it. I found that the only way the play was palatable or even sensical to me personally was if you borrowed the complete induction from Taming of a Shrew. I was curious about how Anne Tyler would deal with the induction.

Answer: She didn't. Anne Tyler jumps right into her story; and I'm calling it her story deliberately. I can picture Ms. Tyler and the Bard chatting on a park bench. He's telling her all about an idea he has for a story. "No, no!" She protests. "Your story has good bones, " (that's how she phrases it, in my head). "But you're adding so much clutter. Here, I'll show you how to do it." So she outlines her story. And Shakespeare likes it. "I do, really. But it isn't my story. My story is about deception and perception; it's about control and submission. Yours is about fitting in, and belonging. It's about learning to be assertive instead of merely aggressive." Well, that's how it happens in my head, anyway.

Ms. Tyler has direct quotes "Kiss me, Kate" and shout-outs, and nods, and little jokes "Aha! A shrew." "Where?", but her story is only loosely based on the play. And I think it has to be, if you're going to turn a short play with little back story into a novel. And I'm going to be honest; I liked this book much more than its predecessor. I enjoyed it, and I'll probably reread it, maybe even soon.

That isn't to say that there weren't things I didn't like about the book.

Ms. Tyler has used profanity as a way of demonstrating brashness, frankness, and toughness. I'm sure that compared to contemporary novels her language usage is pretty minimal (one reason I usually confine myself to middle grade fiction) but I object to any instances of foul language, so I almost stopped reading when right out of the gate she took the Savior's name in vain.

I didn't like Kate's interactions with the preschoolers; she's supposedly been working there for six years, but we're supposed to believe that in that time she has neither learned to set a good example for the children, nor been fired. However, Ms. Tyler does use the preschool to demonstrate moments of tenderness in our main character.

Speaking of characters, I like the characters. They are well developed and have plenty of personality. Even characters introduced only briefly have endearing personality quirks and uniqueness. With the characters that do stick around, you come to understand them, and their believable motivations. I enjoy Ms. Tyler's writing style.

I enjoyed the ways that she snuck in actual events from the play without making them foreign to her own story and characters, despite telling a vastly different tale. I enjoyed the famous monologue delivered by Kate, restructured to carry Ms. Tyler's message.

I greatly appreciated that Ms. Tyler told a love story without getting smoky, steamy, or racy.

The story is set in Baltimore, and naturally references Johns Hopkins, since Pyotr and Dr. Battista are both employed there. I lived in the Baltimore area for two years, while my husband worked at Johns Hopkins as a postdoc, so for me, it's a little bit like reading about home.

Did Ms. Tyler succeed in the aims of Hogarth Shakespeare? You'll have to ask them, but in my opinion, not so much. Entire elements of the play are dropped. The entire subplot is subverted. The message and tone are entirely different. Anne Tyler has used The Taming of the Shrew as a vehicle to tell her own story, for which I believe we should all be grateful. I believe a faithful retelling of Taming of the Shrew would have required a young woman deliberately putting herself into an abusive relationship, and I think we can all agree we don't need that.

Should you read the book? Yes. It's well-written. I think you'll be happy if you buy it, and happy if you check it out from the library. I'm giving this book 4 out of 5 stars. Maybe 3.5, because I really didn't like the language.

Should you read Hogarth Shakespeare's other stories? I couldn't say. It was evident from Goodreads reviews that I would not enjoy Jeanette Winterson's The Gap of Time, and I quit reading  Howard Jacobson's Shylock is My Name as soon as I hit the F word (Before that point though it was pretty clear that Jacobson's writing style is a bit above me.). So if you like Vinegar Girl, do not automatically assume you'll enjoy the others.

More about the book: http://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/239448/vinegar-girl-by-anne-tyler/
Author Blurb: http://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/authors/31626/anne-tyler/

I received an advance reader's edition from Blogging for Books in exchange for my review. This is my honest opinion about the book.

A Review of Amy & Adi's A Faithful Mom 2016 Planner

I have been meaning to get around to this for weeks, but maybe it's good I haven't, because now I've had more time to use it.

This is the planner I have. I took the image off the website, afaithfulmom.com. It was given to me by a member of my church as a gift.

This is a targeted product. This planner is geared to married women with children, who belong to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (If you'd like to know more about the church, check out mormon.org. lds.org also has really great content, but is a little more geared toward people who are already familiar with the Church and its practices and beliefs.). I'll go a step further and say it's aimed at women who have children still at home.

Because I am all of those things, I fall pretty squarely in the demographic group this product was made for, so here's what I think:

First: I am reviewing this product, not the site or company, which I have about zero experience with. I have visited the website twice: once to price the planner ($36.99 + S&H), and once to get a copy of the planner image. At the website (again, afaithfulmom.com), you can see pictures of the inside of the planner, which I highly recommend doing. I am reviewing this planner because I love it. I am not being compensated in any way, and although I received the planner for free, it was a gift from a friend.

What's in the planner? 

The first two thirds of the planner are pretty standard: a year at a glance calendar (there is a typo, in mine at least, it's only half the year + 2017 calendar). A monthly calendar, followed by a weekly calendar, with a couple of note pages for each month. What's to like? Each month is tabbed, and has it's own quote for the month. It's pretty, and it's easy to get to where you're looking for. Each week is covered in a two-page spread. Each day has a long column and a short column as well as a separately shaded area for "Keeping Track," that has two sections with just enough space for a short note. One feature is the checklist to the side of each week, for goals you don't assign a specific day. I like this; I feel that I have more freedom to work on them. The downside is that these are the goals I usually procrastinate to the next week - including this blog post. Three boxes cross the top of each week: one for notes, one unlabeled, one labeled "Next Week." Each day includes a S_P_E_ for checking off scriptures, prayer, and exercise.

How do I use it? I use the monthly spread for appointments like babysitting, outings, or doctor appointments. I also include big events like my brother's wedding (Yay, Bud!) On the weekly layout I use the "Keeping Track" section for things I want to see right away - some goal I shouldn't put off, someone's birthday... On each day I use the main section to write down appointment details, goals, activities, or notes I want to track. Once date-night is a fait accompli, I go back and add a note about what we did, and my favorite part. I use the short section for household chores or things like "move pizza dough to fridge to thaw." I use the next week box mostly for prep that needs to be done in advance, like "buy gift to arrive by next week." The S_P_E_ checklist I love in theory, but I have yet to use it even when I do them. I love this first planner section. Do I feel that its offerings significantly differ from many other planner options? No, not really. So why am I strongly recommending this planner? It's all (almost all) in the back third.

What's back there? 

The first tab after December is Info. There's a page for emergency information I only picture myself needing if I lose my cellphone, or need to convey the information to another person, but it's probably good to have. The next page is for quick reference contacts. There's only room for twelve contacts, so choose wisely; I haven't dared put anything down yet, because the shortage of boxes. I would include two or three pages for this if it were up to me. Next up is the birthdays and anniversaries page. In this case, I like the one page format. One convenient location. There's also a page for a cards and invitations list. I imagine this is most helpful if you have a core group of people you invite to everything, which is probably what most of us do anyway. I wouldn't use it to make the guest list for a wedding (Yay, Bud!) unless you were trying to limit the guest list.

Next comes my favorite tab, Family. The first page page provides a space for Family Goals (Spiritual, Physical, Mental, Financial) and Family Highlights. The next page is called Staying Faithful, and there are six boxes: needs, wants, date nights, favorites, medications, sizes. At first, this page feels superfluous, because, don't we know these things about each other? But I really, really love it. Because you intentionally stop and think about these things. For wants I listed tablecloth, but my husband knows it's about wanting to make my surroundings beautiful and serene; he listed game shelves, but I know it's more about taking care of our things, and having the games accessible so we want to play  them more. There are similar pages for each child (date nights becomes activities) and it's brought each child more into focus. It's made me more aware that my eldest needs a secret lair and inventing tools, that my youngest needs more one on one time, and that my middle child needs art. My husband and I joked that we need to have two more babies, because there are five pages, but I suspect this is ample for a lot of families these days, even if my mother would have had to do most of us two per sheet. Next are scripture reading charts, Old and New Testaments, and the Book of Mormon; just having the charts makes us better about doing the reading - of course it also helps that the theme for Primary this year is I Know the Scriptures Are True. The next page is for vacation plans - which I thrive on, so I feel happier just staring at the page. The next twelve pages are Family Night plans for each month. Each page has a space for family goals, a space for your monthly focus/theme, a calendar schedule for five weeks of FHE assignments, a box for things to incorporate, a space for reflections, and a quote. The theme space is kind of genius; we've never really thought about having a unifying theme for the month. Ours is: Kinder to Each Other. And each week we're focusing on how following a Proclamation principle can help us be kinder. We're not super good about family meetings either, so the family goals list is pretty helpful to us as well. 

The next tab, Personal, is like a reprise of the family tab with the goal page and reading charts. It also has a page for People to Visit. I assume this is for visiting teaching. I like that it includes a Birthday space, and the Notes section I see being very helpful for important things like allergies. I have a phobia about accidentally killing someone because I fed them something they were allergic to. I was annoyed that there are only five pages for notes about church meetings, but then I decided that with three active children distracting me, I'll be lucky to fill that, so I'm good with that now.

  

The next tab is Home, and my favorite part of that is the monthly meal plans. It has helped with making my grocery list, knowing which days I'm ready to entertain, and staying in my budget. There is a page for tracking whether you're staying on budget, which is nice, but we personally track on an excel file. Next, a cleaning schedule. The helpful part is that it's divided into daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, and annually. The next two pages are about emergency preparedness and more household management stuff; I'll be honest, I haven't done anything with this yet. 

Next comes the Holiday tab. It makes me feel happy all over. I am one of those people that has to have things to look forward to to cope with daily life, and here we have planning pages for Valentines Day, Independence Day, Easter Sunday, Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. 

The planner ends with a year at a glance calendar for 2017. Almost. There's a little pocket in the back that I use for my grocery lists and papers I need to take to church. 

The planner looks beautiful and feminine, and it consolidates the things that are the most important to me to track right now. It fits my needs really well. My bipolar disorder has made me more disordered than usual lately (Yay for being back on meds now!), and the planner has helped bring a measure of order to that chaos, so I'm not just happy with it, I'm grateful.

Let's talk about the price. $36.99+S&H. I am glad I got this planner for free. I would not have bought it on my own - even if I had known it existed. But now that I have used it, and seen what a helpful tool it is for me, I'm already planning to find a spot in my budget for next year's edition. Another planner company I priced runs about $43ish for their most comparable product, so I don't feel like the price is a problem...mostly. It could help more people if the price were lower. That's about how I see it. Over all, I am super happy with the planner.