Steampunk Fiction

Book Review

The first time I remember hearing the word "steampunk" was when Will Smith and the gang came out with the new "Wild, Wild West" movie back in 1999. Wow, that was...almost twenty years ago! Even though the trend was started some time ago, it continues to flourish in a variety of ways. I have quite a few students who really like reading steampunk young adult fiction. I had never tried it, however, until recently.

One of my students, who has heard me say I'm an open-minded reader and will try anything once, gave me a well-worn (well-loved) copy of The Mark of the Dragonfly by Jaleigh Johnson. I asked what kind of book it was, and she told me it was a fiction mix of steampunk and fantasy. She had heard me say that I've experienced steampunk in movies and music videos and fashion, but I didn't recall ever reading a young adult novel in that genre. My student wanted to make sure she bridged that gap in my education, for which I am grateful.

The Mark of the Dragonfly is about an orphan girl, Piper, who lives alone in an old, dangerous, poor, steampunk-type world. She is a strong, likable character who doesn't take crap from anyone and has a bit of a sarcastic streak (two of my favorite characteristics in a girl). Piper has a talent for understanding mechanical things and has the tools and ability to fix them. This, of course, makes her very valuable in a worn-out world where new things can't be bought, and all things must be repaired.

One day, while trying to help a friend who is mining in the junk fields, she sees a caravan get hit by something falling from the sky. She manages to help rescue a couple of people from the wreckage, which ends up changing her life and forcing her into an adventure she was not prepared for. She makes some new friends along the way,...but she makes some new enemies, as well.

I enjoyed the novel, and I could understand why my student loves it. She had a another student, a boy, to read it before it reached my hands. She wanted to 'make sure guys would like it, too', and he did. Since I've read it and returned it, she's passed it on to others. All of the readers enjoyed it and gave it good reviews.

On a Personal Note

I do apologize for not posting much since the beginning of the new year. Life took a couple of unexpected turns.

First, I was pretty sick - which is very unusual for me (the last time I had to take time off from work for sickness was 2009). I won't go into all the details, but I caught one of the horrid viruses going around here and, even after I recovered, I had trouble getting my body completely back to normal. Thankfully, I'm fine now.

Second, we've unexpectedly decided to sell our home. We weren't looking to do so, but the timing is right, apparently. It's a good opportunity for us and all that, but...I'm still not quite used to the idea. It seems exciting sometimes, but other times it feels quite overwhelming. And there's so much to do! It's like wanting to sing out loud one minute...and wanting to throw-up the next. I'll let you know how it all pans out in the end. Let's hope I'll be singing! :)

That's all for now, see y'all next Sunday! Happy reading!

Andres, Will, and Me

Once upon a time, I had a student named Andres. Andres didn't like to read very much when he was in the sixth grade, but there was one series he loved: The Ranger's Apprentice by John Flanagan. Because I was curious about a boy who loved a series of books, when he claimed he didn't like to read, I decided to read the first one when he asked me to. And, boy, was I glad I did.

That was over six years ago. Andres has already graduated from high school (which is why I can actually write his real name), the book series has grown since then...and, yes, I've read them all. While Andres is the reason I read the first book in the series, The Ruins of Gorlan, I read all the rest because they are excellent books. I hesitate to say "excellent middle school books" because I believe they are more than that. I assure you I enjoy the series just as much, if not more, than any middle school student. I highly recommend it every year to my students and keep several copies of the first three books in my classroom. 

Now, to present day...

I have a new student this year, let's call him Will (also the name of the beloved main character in The Ranger's Apprentice series). Will entered my classroom on the first day of school with a smile on his face and kindness in his eyes. He is a thoughtful and caring young man, and he impressed me within the first few days when he took my recommendation about The Ranger's Apprentice to heart. He asked if he could borrow the first one off of my book cart. I said yes, without hesitation, and hoped he would enjoy it as much as I did.

We just finished our third week in school, and Will has already finished the third book in the series and has moved on to the fourth, as of Friday afternoon. He loves the series, which pleases me greatly, and it's such fun to talk with him about it. He approached me on Friday, at the end of school, and said he had a recommendation for me. Will said he just knew I'd like The Five Kingdoms series by Brandon Mull. He asked me to please try it.

As you know, if you've read my last two posts, I've been having a bit of a dry spell when it comes to my reading choices. I felt like I should take Will's recommendation to heart since he had taken mine. I told him I would try it when I got the chance.

Needless to say, I began reading The Five Kingdoms Book One, Sky Raiders, this weekend. I really like it! I would've finished it, too, but it's been a busy weekend for me. I'm mentioning it now, before I've finished it, because it would be a great book to begin reading at this time of year.

The book begins on Halloween, when Cole (the main character) is at school and everyone wants to go check out this scary, haunted house attraction in the neighborhood for Halloween night. It's a really great beginning, even a bit dark, but so good - such a good, creepy set up to take the reader into another world. I love it! I'm not giving anything away by saying that Cole's friends are in trouble, and he's going to have to figure out a way to save them. There's action, adventure, and daring rescue attempts! Good stuff!

I'll let you know next week if I'm satisfied with the ending, or if each book is a cliffhanger to the next book. At this point, I have no idea,...and I like it that way.

Happy reading!

"Since it is so likely that children will meet cruel enemies, let them at least have heard of brave knights and heroic courage."

~ C.S. Lewis

A Pleasant Surprise

There was a small treasure, only 135 pages long, waiting to be discovered on my classroom bookshelf. I'm not sure where it came from, as I get books from many different sources, but I had two copies of it. I actually pulled it off my shelf because the cover looked like something a boy might be interested in. I had a student coming by to read for me, and I was hoping to find something he might want to take home and continue reading after we started it together. I'm happy to say that we both found it interesting, and both of us wanted to continue the book. 

The Sign of the Beaver, by Elizabeth George Speare, was originally published in 1983, but I had never heard of it before. It is a historical novel, set in the 1700s, about a twelve-year-old boy, Matt, who is left in the Maine wilderness at the new cabin he and his father have built. They are the first to start a new settlement. His father has returned to gather the rest of the family and move them to the new cabin. Matt is left alone to continue to settle in until his father returns.

From my student's point of view, he found it hard to believe a boy his own age would be left behind in the middle of the wilderness to take care of himself for weeks. My student also found the relationship between Matt and his father strange because, in the very beginning, it says that Matt's father doesn't talk much, even when it was just Matt and his father building the cabin together. Once we got past that part, we both became interested in reading to see how the boy would do on his own. My student predicted Matt would make a lot of mistakes and, within the first few pages, he shook his head and smiled when he found his prediction was right. I guess twelve-year-old boys know twelve-year-old boys no matter what century they lived in.

The pacing of the book picks up pretty quickly in the beginning when Matt needs help one day and is rescued by an Indian chief and his grandson, Attean. The grandfather wants Attean to learn to read the 'white man's signs', and he wants Matt to teach him read. Attean doesn't want to, but doesn't want to disobey his grandfather. What starts out as a forced, strained relationship between the two boys slowly begins to look more like a friendship as they share adventures together. 

I found this book to be a treasure because it is a story about a friendship formed between two boys who are as different as they are alike. It focuses on what Matt thought of the Native Americans before getting to know Attean, just as Attean learns to deal with his own preconceived notions of white men. The story moves quickly and has equal amounts of serious moments and light-hearted, humorous ones. I found myself smiling many times as I read. 

Since finishing the book, I've learned a movie was made about it in 1997, but I haven't watched it yet. I also found there are many different covers for this book, but I'm partial to the one I have, which is pictured in this blog. It was the cover that drew me to the book, and my student was attracted to it, as well. 

In a world of too many watered-down YA novels, where there seems to be more of an inclination to paranormal romances and the dregs of girl drama, it was refreshing to read an adventure of the historical kind. It's also good to know that my twelve-year-old student, who is being raised in a society of selfies and social media, still enjoys an adventure that has none of those things in it.

Oh, Oregon...

I just got back from the Oregon Coast, a place I've never been to before, and my trip was perfection. There's no way I could describe it to you that would do it justice, so let me just say this:

Go.

 

Adventure on the High Seas!

While this week at work has been crazy busy, I just had to pop in and say how much I'm enjoying Frenchman's Creek by Daphne du Maurier. It is exciting and adventurous,...and I swear I can feel the salty sea spraying in my face and the wind blowing in my hair, as my ship sails around the English coast of Cornwall! It makes me want to strap on a sword and shout, "Aaaargh!" at my students...in a French accent, of course.

I look forward to reading every morning and starting my day off with a spirit of excitement. I have taken the book to school a couple of times, but I get carried away reading it and don't want to stop, so I'm keeping it at home from now on. I'm currently at a place in the book where I'm trying to slow down a bit. I'd like to save the last part for Spring Break, which I'm happy to say begins tomorrow at 3:45 for me, so I can savor the end.

I hope this post finds you doing well and reading something that starts your day off right...or ends your day quite pleasantly.

Happy reading!
 

Planes, Trains, and Books

I have so many stories I would like to share with you from my recent travels. I write them in my head as I go about my days, but haven't quite decided the order in which to tell them...

Why not start with what I already promised you (a book review), along with a bit of a story from my travels? Yes, I like it - let's go with that. :)

I had a difficult time with the thought of leaving my Patrick Rothfuss book behind unfinished when I left for England. I have the large, soft cover edition,...and it IS rather heavy. My husband encouraged me to "just download the book" on my Kindle and take that instead. From the look on my face, he knew there were just some things you don't "download"...and a book I have already started reading in print form, which already has a numerous collection of sticky notes, is one of them. Smart man that he is, he just shrugged his shoulders and told me to figure out how I wanted to pack it for a carry-on bag - along with sticky notes, highlighter, and pen/pencil. Like I said, smart man. ;)

I knew I would have good reading time on my plane and train travels, but little did I know my book would spark such interesting conversations. Although, in all fairness, I think my numerous tabs drew more attention to the book than anything else. Most people who approached me began with some reference to why I had so many pieces of paper sticking out of my book. Still, I enjoyed each and every conversation about my book...and my stickies!

On one of the trains in England, I had a lady ask me about my sticky notes. When I explained to her they mark great quotes, delicious words, and things I want to research later, she began to tell me about her love of words and the things she studies. She told me she studies translations and old Hebrew language. She explained how the language is so concrete - so literal. I found it very interesting and had her write down a couple of the language symbols in my notebook.

On another train, while I didn't have any conversations about my book, I was pleased to find an extension to my tray which held my book quite nicely. I said to my friend, Arhonda, "Wow, isn't this nice? They give you an extension to hold your book!" Then, I had to kind of chuckle at myself as I realized that the extension was probably there for a laptop - I noticed the little rubber stoppers on the square edges. In my opinion, though, it is best used for a good book! ;)

As for the good book itself, I thoroughly enjoyed The Wise Man's Fear! In all honesty, there was a couple of places in the book where I thought the pace could have been picked up a bit (or a journey not taken quite so long), but I think that is a preference to be determined by each reader. For instance, a battle scene may seem too long to me in an action film but, to someone who loves that type of thing, it may seem too short. You know what I mean?

Overall, I was very pleased with the book and love Kvothe all the more! Who wouldn't? I enjoy reading about him, his adventures, his friends, and the things he learns about life as he goes along. While it is a medieval story, it is more about the human heart than it is anything else. Rothfuss has a way with words that makes me lay my hand across my heart sometimes when I read. He also makes me smirk with a sarcastic gleam in my eye and makes me giggle like a silly school girl. To read his words is sheer delight to me. I wallow in them. (If you don't believe me, look at the pictures of the tabs in my book. The hot pink ones are used to mark favorite quotes. Does that tell you anything?)

By the way, I finished the book on my flight back home from England. I had a flight attendant approach me, point to my sticky notes, and ask, "Are you doing homework or reading?" I smiled, as I always do, and said, "I am reading for pure, unadulterated pleasure,"...which began another conversation about the book and why I tab. This conversation ended up involving a couple of other passengers and another flight attendant.

I am happy to say that the end result was a small group of readers sharing what books they like and why. It's amazing the wonderful people you meet on planes and trains with just a big book and some hot pink post-it notes. I'd say it was well worth the extra weight I had in my carry-on bag. ;)

A quote! A quote! I must have a Patrick Rothfuss quote:

     The wood was the color of dark coffee, of freshly turned earth. The curve of the bowl was perfect as a woman's hip. It was hushed echo and bright string and thrum. My lute. My tangible soul.
     I have heard what poets write about women. They rhyme and rhapsodize and lie. I have watched sailors on the shore stare mutely at the slow-rolling swell of the sea. I have watched old soldiers with hearts like leather grow teary-eyed at their king's colors stretched against the wind.
     Listen to me: these men know nothing of love.
     You will not find it in the words of poets or the longing eyes of sailors. If you want to know of love, look to a trouper's hands as he makes music. A trouper knows.

Jeep Love Runs Deep

Jeep hair is the best!

Have I mentioned how much I love my Jeep? It is one of those rare pleasures in life I have waited for since I was a teenager, and I enjoy every minute I spend in it! Through all the years that I raised my three daughters and drove a Dodge Ram Conversion Van (because, I'm sorry, I'll never be caught dead in a mini-van. Ever.), I had a saying my friends knew well. I would always say, "I may look like a big, white van,...but I am a red, rag-top Jeep Wrangler in my heart!"

Once my daughters were all grown, and I no longer had need for a big vehicle or four doors, it was the right time to get my heart's desire! My Jeep Wrangler is not a rag-top, however, it is a hard top that can be removed in part or whole, which I love! It is easy to take off the t-tops and throw them in the back any day. The back half, which is a one-piece hard shell, is removed with a pulley system in my garage and stays there until I back the Jeep back up under it to put it back on. This means, I better be sure of the weather before I head-out completely topless. :)

It is hard to say what I love the most about my Jeep Wrangler...because I love everything! First, I have a stick shift, which means it has a manual transmission. There is something quite satisfying about shifting gears. It is rhythm, it is power, it is...sexy. When you add the wind blowing through your hair and across your body, the sun shining down on everything around you, and your favorite music playing on the stereo,...HOW can it get ANY better than that?! It doesn't. It absolutely doesn't.

It is also difficult to describe what it is to be a Jeep Wrangler person. I suppose it's like people who ride Harley-Davidson motorcycles - they have a special understanding, it says something about the kind of person you are. I think it is the same way for owners of Jeep Wranglers. Well, I won't say all Jeep owners, I have seen a few exceptions. You know, those people who have never taken the top off their Wrangler. If you have a Jeep Wrangler, but never take the top off you either a) live in a very bad climate or b) don't really want to be driving a Jeep Wrangler.

In the part of Texas that I live in, Jeep Wrangler owners all wave to each other when we pass. Always. Like I said, it's an understanding. It says, "Hey, I like your Jeep! Aren't Wranglers great?! I like the kind of person you are - you're a free spirit, you don't care what your hair looks like, you don't care what people think, you love the outdoors, and doesn't this sun and wind feel FABULOUS! Have a nice day!" Well,...something like that. ;)

I got tickled the other day when my husband was driving the Jeep and we stopped to get some gas. There was another guy in an older model Jeep in front of us. He nodded at my husband and waved. We both waved back. The guy got out and both men began complimenting the Jeeps. The guy had been customizing his, and it was a work in progress. It looked great, though, and I said so. I told him I especially liked the sport seats he put in his Jeep. I must say, though, my favorite part of the conversation was when the guy pointed to my Jeep and asked my husband, "Nice! Is that your toy?" and my husband shook his head and pointed to me grinning in the passenger seat. "No," he smiled back, "it's hers."

Did I mention? My husband may look like a silver, convertible BMW,...but he's a black Jeep Wrangler in his heart. ;)