Merry Christmas!

I thought for the holidays I’d take a short break from my usual blogging topics and look at holiday stories in general, and Christmas stories in particular. During Christmas, stories take a special place in our lives in ways that stories don’t seem to do for most of the year. Even avid readers find a different kind of solace in Christmas stories, even though we read and hear the same ones over and over and over again. Magically, we become children again, ready to hear that one again, even though we can quote it verbatim.

And what is Christmas without them? We’d have a hole, just as if we had no Christmas carols. Christmas is one holiday where stories still play a crucial part in every day America. A very old tradition, stories used to be a part of life year-round, but these days in the United States, we seem to leave the repetitive telling of traditional stories to parents and teachers of small children, if them. However, the story-telling tradition remains popular and important for Christmas, even with those generally disinclined to include stories in their every day lives.  As for shameless bibliophiles (myself proudly included), Christmas stories still hold a special place similar to, but not quite the same as our favourite children’s books. Often these stories fill in both spaces (How the Grinch Stole Christmas is a classic example), and sometimes Christmas stories make us stretch our arms to areas we might normally neglect. For example, while I am no fan of Charles Dickens, I love A Christmas Carol.  I really do. Even more interesting is that although Dickens is hardly the most accessible of classic authors, one cannot last long without being well-versed in this tale. Scrooge has become an important term in our culture (much like the Grinch) particularly around Christmas.

Christmas stories fill us with hope and give us permission to be children again. Like any good story, they alter how we see the world and how we feel about it. The entire Christmas season is designed to give us a year-end attitude change, conveniently for the northern hemisphere during winter. Holiday stress, commercialism, and the surfacing of family or financial problems also may appear magnified during this time. It is the Christmas stories that combat these problems and allow us that glowing feeling and peace we associate with Christmas. It’s the stories that remind us why the time is too important to let pass and encourage us to reflect on our lives and our own blessings. It’s the stories that make Christmas extra special, whether or not you have the perfect family, whether or not you’re spiritual, whether or not you’ve gotten as far as you wanted during the past year. They fill a need that we ignore, or sometimes even forget we have most of the year.

So, here is my list of some of my favourite Christmas stories to enjoy with children or even just to get yourself into the spirit this year.  Feel free to share yours, because I always love finding more. Merry Christmas from Inklings!

How the Grinch Stole Christmas

The Cajun Night Before Christmas

The Littlest Angel

A Christmas Carol

The Nightengale

Gift of the Magi

The Little Match Girl (really one of my all-time favourite children’s books ever)

The Nutcracker

The Fickle Muse

If you’re a writer or know someone who is, this is not a new topic for you. You know exactly of whom I speak.

In case this term confuses you, the Fickle Muse is the elusive creativity creature. Generally, the FM is considered female, but I contest it has no particular gender, only a tantalizing nature and frustrating habit of appearing with a splendor of inspiration at the most inconvenient times. Then, when needed, the FM is nowhere to be found.

For this reason, writers can be seen working at three in the morning, arriving at their day jobs harried and exhausted, impatiently scribbling on a cocktail napkin or class notes in hopes their feeble reminders will stiumlate them later (which they rarely do), or halting conversations, sometimes in midsentence. If you are a friend of a writer, you may be familiar with the late/early (it’s all relative, right?) phone calls, abrupt conversation switches or endings, and random beginnings. For maintaining your friendships with your writer, I salute you. This cannot be an easy task.

The Fickle Muse always knows when best to come, and for me, it is almost always when I’m busiest with work. When my mind simply can’t spare the room and distraction of an idea, when time does not allow extraneous writing, the FM will strike quickly, and without warning. Sometimes, the Fickle Muse enjoys to interrupt writers in the middle of other work, a shower, or even wake their writer host from a peaceful sleep. I have witnessed and experienced this.

And yet, what would we do without our darling Muse? Pages of uninspired writing, mulling the same idea aimlessly for years would be for naught if the lightning of inspiration didn’t finally strike.

Writers have many methods for dealing with the Fickle Muse. Some carry laptops or notebooks. For me, I am lucky enough to have friends to help me remember. Sharing the idea often helps me remember it, and if I don’t, someone else knows. Even better, I have feedback and accountability, and there is nothing better for my desperate mind when the Muse strikes and I’m in no position to write.

Someday, I hope to find a place that will hold the fleeting thoughts that can strike at any moment- or even better, have the time to write at any given moment. Until then, I depend upon my helpful friends for their memory space and precious feedback. To you, I give my thanks now- even if I don’t always remember at the moment. Thanks for your patience with my flighty ideas, for the circular conversations that accompany them, and for the ideas you help me develop just by talking.

Cheers for now, Inklings, and all the best for a successful week.

P.S. I recently updated my blogroll- I recommend giving it a peek when you have time. There’s much blogging fun to be had and read.

Bonus Post

It’s a nasty day outside, and I don’t really want to work. I found this, and I thought I’d share it for pure entertainment.

 

Random Thoughts for the Day:

1.   I think part of a best friend’s job should be to immediately clear your computer history if you die.

2.   Nothing sucks more than that moment during an argument when you realize you’re wrong.

3.   I totally take back all those times I didn’t want to nap when I was younger.

4.   There is great need for a sarcasm font.

5.   How the heck are you supposed to fold a fitted sheet?

6.   Was learning cursive really necessary?

7.   Map Quest really needs to start their directions on #5.  I’m pretty sure I know how to get out of my neighborhood.

8.   Obituaries would be a lot more interesting if they told you how the person died.

9.   Bad decisions make good stories.

10. You never know when it will strike, but there comes a moment at work when you know that you just aren’t going to do anything productive for the rest of the day.  (Just for my favourite roommate. Hope your day improves. Hugs!)

11. I’m always slightly terrified when I exit out of Word and it asks me if I want to save any changes to my ten page research paper that I swear I did not make any changes to.

12.  I hate when I just miss a call by the last ring, but when I immediately call back, it rings nine times and goes to voicemail. What’d you do after I didn’t answer? Drop the phone and run away?

13.  I hate leaving my house confident and looking good and then not seeing anyone of importance the entire day.

14. I keep some people’s phone numbers in my phone just so I know not to answer when they call.

15.  I think the freezer deserves a light as well.

16.  I disagree with Kay Jewelers. I would bet on any given Friday or Saturday night more kisses begin with Miller Lite than Kay.

Beka Cooper: Bloodhound

Bloodhound is the second in the Beka Cooper series by Tamora Pierce. Rather than picking up just at the end of Terrier, Bloodhound moves forward in time, just a bit. Beka has been a dog for some time now, but still does not have a consistent partner. Her determination and dedication to the job make it hard for her to compromise her missions the way some of the other dogs are wont to do.  Still maintaining her friendships with her companions on the other side of the law, Beka works hard to focus on her own ideas of right and wrong, which seems to leave her would-be partners far behind.  When new problems arise in Corinth, Beka, Tunstall, and Goodwin help settle a riot. In the process, Tunstall is seriously injured, forcing him to take leave. Goodwin and Beka must leave Corinth to investigate an influx in faux currency. Oh… and did I mention Beka now handles a hound (a real hound)?

That is about all I am willing to say, plot-wise, without giving away too much.  I have to say, Beka comes back just as strong as she began. In Bloodhound, we readers learn much more about Goodwin, and she becomes more human but still completely Goodwin. Beka has even more delimmas, both professional and personal. The twists in Bloodhound are constant and Ms. Pierce works hard to keep at least one step ahead. Her skill with creating engaging characters is excellent, and she adds even more in Bloodhound. She artfully weaves new cultures into the story, adding an extra flavor to the mood. Throughout, the novel is both fun and conflicted- just like Beka’s experience in the story, which makes it move quickly and difficult to put down once you begin reading it.  As usual, there is a lot going on here.

Like in Terrier, Beka works through a number of realistic issues, each of which is expected at her age. Beka has gotten a little older by Bloodhound, and so the book is a little older as well. 

First, Beka has conflicted love interests in this book, as Rosto finds himself in competition with the gambling pirate, Dale Rowan.  Fortunately for Beka, these two stay far separated (and Rosto has limited knowledge of Dale) due to geography. Here, we see a common love-triangle competition, but we have the added advantage of Beka’s inner debate. Beka is insightful enough to weigh the kinds of relationships she has and sees, comparing hers to that of Goodwin and her husband, Tunstall and Lady Sabine, and her many other friends.  We watch Beka debate within herself the kinds of relationship she has with each of the other characters in order to determine what is the right one.  This is a significant improvement from the vague “I like both” debate we sometimes see.  Young readers learning about relationships can learn from Beka not only how to consider their own relationships, but understanding that relationships with different people can differ from each other, and the reality is that relationships can be genuinely confusing.

Secondly, we delve a bit deeper into the idea of mixed virtues.  While Beka has been friends with those “on the other side of the law” for some time, we see in Bloodhound more questionable behaviors from engaging characters. Additionally, not all of these fun characters are as “good” as they seem. The question of “good” or virtue is gently twisted around and considered throughout Bloodhound in an engaging debate.

Finally, one of the biggest debates in Bloodhound is the notion of change and growing up. Bloodhound sees lots of changes from the beginning: Beka repeatedly changes partners, and then changes location.  Many of the characters in the first book are not as involved in Bloodhound, with the particular exception of Goodwin. In addition, more changes are coming in Beka’s life, and in the experience of the readers- but, I’ll have to let you see those for yourself.  Throughout, Beka negotiates and considers change and constantly has to cope with it. This is an important skill to learn, and even more difficult to manage- even for adults.

Beka in general is becoming a great young adult character; even now, she makes big mistakes with big consequences, and takes responsibility for her actions. She is an example of determination, fortitude, and personal growth. Few people are as true to self as Beka can be. The complexity of her life reflects the complexity of reality- and that is a rare find in fiction, especially for younger readers.

Inklings recommends Bloodhound, and is excited to read the next in the series.  However, due to some older content (complicated situations, mild sexual content, and overt flirtation), this is probably best for a slightly older readership. 

Attributes include adventure, comedy, skillfully unraveled story-line, engaging characters, emotional appeal, and some quotability.

Next review will come soon, but I have no idea what book that will be, yet. I am open to suggestions.

Pavlov, Eat Your Heart Out

Most writers will probably tell you that they have ways of becoming inspired, be it music, lighting, or location.  I discovered early in my writing experience that I am inspired by water- in any form. I first noticed this when I came up with all of my best ideas in the bath. Later, I also got ideas from showers and swimming. Why is this? I have no idea. Knowing why something inspires you is probably not nearly as important as knowing that it does.

My most interesting observation in this subect of late came from working at an internship for school. Part of the week, I stay in a dorm where the hot water takes a long time to become, well, hot. Now, I run the shower for a long time- sometimes more than twenty or thirty minutes before actually taking my shower to have warm water.  During this process, I discovered that lo and behold, all I need for inspiration is to run the shower.  Actually being in the shower is no longer necessary for inspiration (although still a crucial element in hygiene).

My internal writer is thrilled by this development, because not having to have actual contact with water will make the ideas much easier to record as they are flowing (yeah, I made that pun, and I meant it- it’s Friday, people.), whereas I had to somehow file the thoughts in my not-so-dependable brain in order to get them to paper. Even better, this reiterates the fact that I really should move to a place near the water and take time to work out on the beach or something (Aruba, anyone?).

The psychologist in me (who is just as loud and obnoxious as the writer, if not more so) is terribly amused by this development, per today’s title. While the cause behind my reaction (inspiration for writing/ great ideas) to the stimulus (being in water) is still a great mystery, the reaction (inspiration) has generalized to a larger stimulus (water in general).  There you are, your review of Pavlovian Behaviorism for the day.

So, the question of the day: What inspires you?

Free life suggestion of the day: Go out and find that thing. How can you bring it into your home? Workplace? How can you derive some motivation from your personal “element” (acknowledging that it may or may not be a periodic or one of the earthly elements- fire, water, air, sun, etc.)?

Feel free to share your inspiration- this isn’t just a one-way blog. I can use some extra inspiration tips, anyway. I showed you mine, now show me yours.  If you want to.

Cheers and have a great weekend! I will have a reivew of the second Beka Cooper to you soon.

Beka Cooper: Terrier

Tamora Pierce is the author of a number of best selling fantasy series for young adults. Despite this fact, I must admit that I was completely unfamiliar with her when I first picked up Beka Cooper. Of course, we all must have our first introduction, and so this was mine.

Beka lives in a fantasy world of Tamora Pierce’s creation. It’s a world of multiple nations, ethnicities, and languages. Beka grew up in the slums of Corinth with her mother and siblings. Using her mysterious talents for hearing the dead and dogged determination (completely intentional, as you will see), she gets the attention of My Lord Provost of the city guard. He welcomes Beka and her family to his home, and helps raise them to future professions. Beka becomes a messenger for the city guard, commonly known as “dogs,” and upon coming of age begins her training with the night watch. Beka’s training becomes more complicated as a serial kidnapper and killer takes children and murders them unless their families pay dearly. To make Beka’s life more complicated, new criminals have moved in- next door to Beka.

I’d like to start my review by saying that this book completely won me over. I love the characters. I love the idea. Tamora Pierce unravels her stories well, developing loveable but multidimensional characters. It was difficult to decide exactly what to place in the synopsis. The characters are fun to read and fun to discuss, but I don’t want to ruin it for you.

Since I made a big deal about purpose in the last post, I should discuss that here.  Beka Cooper is a very entertaining story with fun characters and an involving plot- very successful escapeism. What I love even more, however, is the way that Beka and other characters negotiate important issues.  This makes Beka Cooper not only a great entertainment piece, but also a successful exploration of social and interpersonal issues. Though set in a backdrop of completely fictional time and place, Beka’s core issues are true to life. Adults can read and enjoy her negotiation of her problems, and younger readers can also relate to Beka. As a strong proponent of bibliotherapy and learning through reading, Beka Cooper intertwines helpful concepts in a fantastic story with vivid characters.

Just to name a few:

My favourite is probably the notion of recovering from mistakes. It ruins nothing to tell you that Beka is destined to be one of the greatest dogs in history, as we are told in the very beginning of the story. However, the story shows her learning, and when she makes a mistake, sha makes big ones- some of them very humiliating. It’s hard to recover from humiliation, but Beka learns and moves on.

Throughout the book, Beka also expresses in her journal common curiosities and insecurities that most girls her age have, covering every topic from body image and changes to growing up to be herself.

On that subject, Beka navigates the challenge of being herself and following her dreams, even though the conflict with the opinions of others. My lady does not approve of Beka’s choice to be a dog, and neither do her sisters, who have jobs in the household. Beka faces scathing comments and separation from her sisters as she moves into her chosen profession.

By going through each challenge, Beka slowly learns to trust herself and her newly acquired skills to be the best dog she can. She learns to balance conflicting frienships and alliances in a confusing and corrupt system. Navigating this system and learning to “play the game” without losing sight of herself is one of her biggest accomplishments, and indeed one of the most difficult.

I highly recommend Beka Cooper: Inkling Recommended.  Beka is written true to her age, and is age-appropriate for children around her age (pre/early adolescence) through adult.

Beka ranks high on humor, engaging characters, and is rather quotable. The plot unravels slowly, weaving in different characters, motivations, and subplots,  and has enough twists to keep things interesting.

Beka Cooper is available at most large bookstores, as well as online, such as Amazon. It is also available on a well-read audiobook.

As a final note, all blogs, tweets, and FaceBook updates today with the following will contribute 1 cent to cancer research.  #beatcancer  So, blog it, tweet it, update it!

Keeping with Beka, her next adventure, Bloodhound is up for review next. See you then!

Quoted Brilliance

Hello all! I received this in an email from a good friend of mine, and thought it was brilliant. I am going to see if I can add this blog to my blog roll, in case anyone wants to see a persistent link. In the meantime, here is a great entry for anyone who is a friend of a writer (or a writer themselves). If you write or have a writer in your life, you can probably relate to this. I know I can. So, Happy Friday and enjoy.

Don’t worry, my next review is coming soon. I promise. Midterms, you see.

http://shanna-s.livejournal.com/

Some Musings on Purpose

Forgive me, readers, for I have been neglectful. It’s been nearly a month since my last post. In fairness, however, I have been pondering this post for quite some time, trying to decide how I wanted to format this post and the blog in general. In truth, life has also kept me quite busy and rather tired. Hopefully, I’m more organized, now, and I can make it up to you. Thank you for your patience.

The literary, and indeed the reading world (myself included) spend a lot of time judging the value of written composition. Avid readers can’t even reach a consensus on the top 100 books of all time, much less the value of a specific work. It’s the wonder of reading: a story for everyone, and it keeps things interesting.

We all do it- that’s half the point of this blog. Because I’m doing this, I thought it was important to consider how I look at the reviews, because it’s probably different for everyone.  Obviously, I like to look at the elements, which is pretty much what I’ve been doing. However, there are other things I am going to include, especially as the blog progresses, such as theories and potential for learning in these works.

Most importantly, I want to address purpose. Books, like people, have different goals and purposes. Some entertain while pointing out philosophical or social truths and paradoxes (some of my personal favourites), while others theorize, criticize, rationalize, or perform many other “izes” to try to contribute to the greater social or literary schema. Others are written strictly for escapeism, with no goals of influence or philisophical intrigue. They flitter about for pure amusement.

In analyzing any book, I find it only appropriate to keep these purposes in mind, for the purpose will obviously drive much of the book. While it can be difficult to read a book and discover it’s actual purpose (How are we ever to truly know intention?), we can get an idea from it’s general manner and style. Some books demand you unpack them and ponder every syllable, while others lay out their wares, exclaiming, “Ooh, shiny! Come, have a look.”

In these latter cases, some great fun is to be had, as long as the reader resists the tempation to look under the polish for profound substance. These are best enjoyed in an afternoon, curled up in a chair with a snack full of taste but skimming on nutritional value. Prepare, reader, to suspend your own dogged reality and ideas of how the world is, and open to how the world could be, might be, or may never, ever be (and in some cases, that itself is fortunate, indeed). The magic of the story and of writing is the sudden ability to defy many rational laws and instead create new ones that may or may not resemble the ones to which we subject ourselves on a daily basis.  It is this shift from reality, even from our own preconceptions that is the gift of escapist writing.

Many may disagree with me; as readers and writers we develop our own standards for composition and stories themselves. I embrace this by saying that as books have different purposes, readers have varied needs, and these needs are hardly stable. Readers have different needs at different times, which makes the diverse creations of the written word so appealing. Somewhere, there is a constant book waiting to fulfill wavering need.

How, then, to assess a book? It’s no easy task, and certainly my opinions are no more than my simple opinions.  I suggest that, considering possible purposes for a book, looking at it’s fulfillment of the most likely purpose, it’s style, and search for what benefit it brings or could bring a reader. Instead of discerning overall worth of this book over that one, I hope to instead discover the potentail voids each book has been designed to or potentially could fill for readers. It’s a large order, indeed. My ideas are certainly biases by my own literary needs and preferences, but I hope to find a wealth of benefit from reading a diverse library of works, particularly aimed at or at least useful to older children, adolescents, and anyone else young at heart.

That said, I will end my musings and resume my reviewing.  The next review will be the first of a two-part review, looking at the two current books in the Tortall/Beka Cooper series by Tamora Pierce. If you’re looking for the books, the first is Beka Cooper: Terrier. The second is Beka Cooper: Bloodhound.

Everlost

Adolescent and children stories are usually considered little more than fanciful escapeism, and in many cases, this is true. Some people believe that there is little point in adding layers and complexity into these genres. Neil Shusterman’s Everlost is a prime example of how false this assertion is.

Everlost is a stopping place for children who have died unexpectedly, and somehow gotten lost on the crossover. This world is full of perils, from evil monsters to the very ground, which will suck you to the center of the Earth if you stand still too long. It houses thousands if not millions of children, as well as long destroyed beloved relics.

Everlost has quite a few layers of interest, beyond the story itself. The plot alone in interesting, with lots of detail and fun characters. In Everlost, things are rarely what they seem.

One of my favourite aspects of Everlost is Shusterman’s use of many iconic classics. Everlost harkens back to Neverland, with children who never grow old, govern themselves, fight pirates, and are even “lost” children. Travelers through Everlost might recognize20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, cleverness worthy of the Voyages of Sinbad, betrayals befitting Othello, and countless cultural mythologies and religions, as well as the specific principles of Everlost.  Considering Shusterman’s other work, this doesn’t come as a surprise. Shusterman has a penchant for using classics as models for his work, but these are often parodies or adaptations of a specific work. In Everlost, Shusterman uses many different pieces from different countries and time periods. The result is a complex mythology and entertaining storyline.

Shusterman’s work doesn’t stop there. Using muliple points of view, he outlines not only different perceptions of characters, but establishes multiple philosophies to develop his themes. The concepts of death and afterlife are obviously important themes, but Shusterman explores many others.

The first major theme is reminiscent of Orwell or Fahrenheit 451. Roughly half of the plot debates the merit of comfortable routine with safety and making no real decisions vs. the complete freedom to do so and accept whatever consequences follow. This particular theme begins quietly with the meeting of Leaf, and then progresses through trials and  conflict with Mary Hightower. This theme lines up nicely with a number of required readings, like those mentioned above.

Perhaps my favourite accomplishment in Everlost is Shusterman’s use of Existentialism. This is not a topic often seen in the adolescent and children genres, but I really liked it here. Several characters experience “existential changes” through various means (I won’t spoil it here), and react in different ways. Existential undertones run throughout the book, adding an optional complexity.
I recommend this one for older kids to adolescents, and there is plenty in Everlost for adults. The ending is “what it needs to be” but leaves the somewhat empty feeling of wanting more. Good news: Everlost is the first book of a trilogy. Book 2 has not yet been released, but Inklings will have a review when it comes out. Also, for educators looking for something different to use, this could be an interesting option.

Quotability: This book has several quotable moments. Shusterman uses dialogue to express a number of concepts, as well as using simple descriptive lines. My favourite quote follows the creative “existential epiphany” for Leaf: “Well, ‘Yay!’ anyway.”

Inkling recommended.

Everlost is also available on audio.

Half Moon Investigations

Hello and welcome back to Inklings. It’s been a pretty wild few weeks, hence the blogging delay.  So,without further ado, here is the Half Moon review.   <Beware! Spoilers ahead! If you don’t want spoilers, please continue  until you see these <> things again. >

Half Moon Investigations follows FletcherMoon, twelve-year-old private investigator. Seriously, he’s got the badge to prove it and has certified online training.  His investigations lead him to uncover the twisted workings of his hometown when he gets a job from one of the pink “Barbies” in his class. He discovers the unknown merits of the Sharkey local crime family and the IRA/Black Panther-esque feminist revolution of middle school girls, determined to rid their school of pesky boys.

This was probably the most unexpected twist in the book, and I have to say I loved it. It was disturbing in an enjoyable way. The girls were pretty scary with their rapid changes from pink to black and sweet to militant. The determination for education and power reflect much of the feminist movement, even though their methods are not, shall we say, conventional? Most feminists wouldn’t use this approach, but it does play off a common misconceived stereotype- and it was hilarious in shock value. I love adolescent and independent reader material that approaches sociological issues, in whatever way, and this delivered. I was incredulous the entire time.

<End spoilers>

Half Moon has a number of great themes for readers, and is overall entertaining. Means to an end and self-sufficiency are priorities for Fletcher Moon, as he learns to weigh his options in the detective tradition. Students reading this will enjoy the revelations that things- and people- are not always what they seem, no matter how mean or perfect they may seem to be. The personal challenges are real, even if the case is not.

Colfer’s use of the gumshoe detective voice is very funny juxtaposed with a dead serious seventh grader. His observation and description illustrates lots of fun, vivid characters. The adults in this book are abysmally clueless, which adds to the hilarity. Maybe they’re exaggerated, but consider the source: a 12 year-old. Pitch perfect.

As for the plot, the solution may be a little predictable for the avid mystery reader, but the pace, characters, twists, and humor more than make up for it.

Quotability: I love quotations, and a quotable book is always welcome. This book had several quotable moments and lines that made me laugh out loud of find myself nodding. This book is moderately quotable.

Final assessment: Entertaining, fun, good characters, and a quick, accessible read, appropriate for the independent reader ages and up. The young at heart will be pleased.

Inkling approved.

Half Moon Investigations by Eoin Colfer; published by Miramax, 2006 (UK); also available on audio

Genre: Detective fiction, Mystery, Independent Reader, humor

Also, a TV series on CBBC

Review soon to come: Everlost, by Neil Shusterman