Dancing with Ana by Nicole Barker

Stars: ***1/2

The Golden Road Press (2009)
Teen Fiction
170 pages

Summary: Beth has a great life, a loving family and three best friends. Beth and most of her friends decide to go on a diet but it gets a little out of control for Beth. 

The title says it all. Ana is short form for Anorexia and Beth is indeed dancing with it. She doesn't quite develop into full Anorexia needing hospitalization and treatment but she does get quite close. Luckily she realizes what she is doing to herself and is able to stop. With true Anorexia, the person doesn't see what they are doing to themselves because they have warped view of themselves.

I think the fact that Beth comes from a good family shows teenage girls that struggles with diet and even eating disorders can happen to anyone. The story was simple and it's short enough that the story doesn't get too in depth. For some this may not be a good thing but I think it's perfect for teenage girls. When it comes to reading about struggles, a lot can be too much.

Although the story is mainly about Beth, a bit about her friend Rachel is covered. It's a sub-plot I guess. Adding a bit about her seemed to make the book not too monotonous. The book doesn't only cover Beth's struggle with weight loss either. It includes her romance with her boyfriend Jeremy and her relationship with her friends, teachers and parents.

Recommended for girls 12-16, especially if they struggle with their weight, (whether their weight is above normal or not.)

Links of Interest: Dancing With Ana,

Other Reviews: Nose in a Book, Missy's Book Nook, Kay's Bookshelf, Miss Remmer's Review, Tales of a Book Addict, Crazy for Books, Diary of an Eccentric, Cheryl's Book Nook,

Buy Dancing With Ana at Amazon.com and support SMS Book Reviews

*I received a copy of this book for review. All reviews are honest and are not affected in any way by how I received the book.

Everything Sucks: Losing My Mind and Finding Myself in a High School Quest for Cool by Hannah Friedman

Stars: *****

HCI Teens (2009)
Teen Nonfiction (Memoir)
264 pages

Summary: Hannah Friedman's life sucks. So she sets out to change it. After a strange early and middle childhood she enters one of the country's most prestigious boarding schools on scholarship and transforms herself into everything she is not: cool. By senior year, she has a perfect millionaire boyfriend, a perfect GPA, a perfect designer wardrobe, and is part of the most popular clique in school, but somehow everything begins to suck far worse than when she first started. Her newfound costly drug habit, eating disorder, identity crisis, and Queen-Bee attitude lead to the unraveling of Hannah's very unusual life. She manages to put it all back together but it's not easy.


When I was approached by the author herself to review this book, the title and summary brought me back to my high school years. I realize they weren't all that long ago but I enjoy reading of others adventures in high school. I was a little unsure about the book, not sure if it would be good or not but I'm glad I accepted because it was awesome!

I just LOVE the chapter titles. They each have the work suck in them such as: Family Sucks, Periods Suck, Diets Suck, Love Sucks etc.... I zipped through the book in a few days because it was engaging. I remember telling my husband about the book too which I don't do often because he's not a reader and usually could careless. However if I really enjoy a book, I ramble on and on about it to him. The fact that on Amazon.com it has a four and a half star average rating and NO ratings below three (as of this post anyways) tells me that I'm not the only one to enjoy this book.

The writing style is what kept me captivated. It was almost like the author was sitting across from me telling me her story, which to me is a sign of a good memoir. Her stories were funny but also in some ways amazing. A few times I was wondering if something really happened to her, it just seemed a bit extreme. The story, even thought it's true, carries some important lessons about being who you are, and not who you think you should be. Hannah finds out the hard way that being cool isn't everything. I think hearing this from a true memoir drives the point home more than a fiction novel with the same lesson.

Recommended for Ages 14 and up, including those who are not in high school anymore but enjoy reading about it.

Links of Interest: Hannah Friedman, Hannah on Twitter, Hannah on YouTube, 

Other Reviews: Book Addiction, Stephanie's Confessions of a Book-a-holic, Shooting Stars Mag, Write for a Reader, Pop Culture Junkie, Presenting Lenore,

Buy Everything Sucks at amazon.com and support SMS Book Reviews

*I received a copy of this book in exchange for a review. All reviews are honest and are not affected in any way by how I came by the book.

In My Mailbox Monday - Mar 29

This is the day when I highlight all the new books that have come into my house since the last time I participated.

In My Mailbox is hosted at The Story Siren while Mailbox Monday is hosted at The Printed Page. Since they are basically the same meme, I do them together. Check the links to find posts from others.

So what have I received for review?

Dear Diary, I'm Pregnant: Ten Real Life Stories Interviews by Anrenee Englander (Annick Press)
Interviews with pregnant teens, teens who were pregnant, teens who had abortions, teens who placed child for adoption and teens who are or were raising their children.

Animal Snoops: The Wondrous World of Wildlife Spies by Peter Christie (Annick Press)
Just what it says - animal spies! It's children's nonfiction

How Do You Read to a Rabbit? by Andrea Wayne von Konigslow (Annick Press)
Could you read to bunnies, camels or dolphins? Why not? Picture book


Chicken, Pig, Cow and the Purple Problem by Ruth Ohi (Annick Press)
The third in a series that I've been reviewing here. Cute picture book.

Didn't I Feed You Yesterday?: A Mother's Guide to Sanity in Stilettos by Laura Bennett (Ballantine Books)
Laura Bennett from Project Runway Season 3, mother of six children (five boys and one girl) shares her approach to parenting. Seem's very funny.

That's it!

Spiked Scorpions & Walking Whales: Modern Animals, Ancient Animals and Water by Claire Eamer

,

Stars: ***1/2

This is the second similar book by Claire Eamer. I've reviewed Super Crocs & Monster Wings as well.

Summary: Following in the steps of Super Crocs & Monster Wings, this highly engaging book looks at six different groups of animals that are linked with the place where all life began – the water. Featuring the 110-million-year-old platypus, the mysterious colossal squid, Sea scorpions as large as crocodiles and the Demon Duck of Doom, a giant, flightless Australian bird with legs built for walking and a beak the size of a suitcase.

These books are great for learning about science and any child wanting to know more about where today's animals evolved from will enjoy these books. The Demon Duck of Doom (mentioned in summary) is so big and scary looking I'm glad it's not still around!

This book not only covers specific animals but also talks about how important water is to so many animals. There is also an interesting page that shows what the evolution of some animals would look like if the earth's total age was condensed into one year. For example:

"Earth forms on the first day of January"
"Bizarre soft-bodied creatures fill the oceans in mid-November."
"On December 27, an asteroid strikes Earth, bringing death to the dinosaurs and many other species."

Doing it this way shows how most of what's happened on the Earth happened in the last few billion years.

The book is full of photos of modern animals and detailed drawings of what their ancient counterparts probably looked like.

I found this book wasn't quite as good as Super Crocs and Monster Wings but was still a good nonfiction science read for children.

Links of Interest: Claire Eamer,

Other Reviews: NONE YET

Buy Spiked Scorpions & Walking Whales at amazon.com and support SMS Book Reviews

*I received a copy of this book in exchange for a review. All reviews are honest and are not affected in any way by how I came by the book.

Week in Review (Mar 21-Mar 27)

Here's what happened this week:

In My Mailbox Monday - Mar 22
Straight Talk for Teenage Girls by Annette Fuson
The 5 Love Languages by Gary Chapman
Free Hans Wilhelm Children's Books in PDF Format (Out of Print)
My Story The Great Plague: A London Girls' Diary 1665-1666 by Pamela Oldfield
Cake Wrecks by Jen Yates
Books with an Environment Theme
Booking Through Thursday - on Friday "Break"
I Am Nujood: Age 10 and Divorced by Nujood Ali with Delphine Minoui
Juggling, Cooking and Acting Immature

What else?

Caught up with some reviews but still have more to catch up on. I like writing reviews but I find it so hard to concentrate with my kids around. At night when they're sleeping, I'm too tired to think. I'd love some suggestions from other parents of preschoolers who blog.

About the Upcoming Week  

Expect review of all kinds of books: adult fiction, teen fiction, picture books, klutz kits, nonfiction etc...

Juggling, Cooking and Acting Immature

Juggling for the Complete Klutz and John Cassidy and B.C. Rinbeaux
Stars: ***

This is actually the 30th Anniversary edition of Juggling for the Complete Klutz. It comes with three Juggling beanbag squares and a small book of information.

You'll find some good information in this book, not only on how to do the moves but also some information on how your brain gets confused when you are learning juggling.

After you learn the basics, you'll find information on juggling with more than one person, juggling with other objects, circle juggling and a few other fun ideas.

Since this is the 30th Anniversary the back two pages of the book is a little scrapbook with cover art from the first 5 editions of the book, some old photographs and letters and news clippings although you don't get to read them all.

There is at least one typo, "Road that last line again," but overall it's a cute and helpful book.

Kids Cooking: A Very Slightly Messy Manual by Editors of Klutz
Stars: ****

Summary: 45 savory samples of kid-do-able kitchen crafts and cuisine, including Giant Soap Bubbles, Not So-Sloppy Joes, Frozen Bananoids and lots more.

This cute book/kit is listed as for ages 5 and up but with proper parental help/supervision (which is needed for a 5 year old too) you could do at least some of these with a 3 or 4 year old. The book is made of thick, wipe-able pages and comes with a set of plastic measuring spoons.

The book has 5 sections: Breakfasts, Lunches/Snacks, Dinners/Salads, Desserts and Not to Eat. The Not to Eat section includes play dough, face paint, finger paints, giant soap bubbles and Fido's fabulous people crackers.

After some kitchen rules, you'll find Metric Conversion Tables. The recipes are in Imperial but with the aid of the charts, those who use Metric can easily follow the recipes. Each recipe has illustrations of ingredients, methods and some just for fun illustrations too. Each recipe lists prep time, bake time and total servings. The illustrations are a nice touch. This is a good book that the kids will enjoy looking at too instead of just listening to the instructions from their parent/guardian.

The Encyclopedia of Immaturity Volume 2 by the Editors of Klutz
Stars: ****

Are you a kid in no hurry to grow up? Or an adult who wishes he/she was still a kid? Then this is the book for you? This book has ALL kinds of crazy activities (or shenanigans as it says on the cover.) Here is just a short list of possible fun:

• Air Guitar
• Dog Couture
• Frozen Underapnts
• How to Bark Like a Dog
• How to Fake a Cold
• How to  Make a Lasso
• How to Make Bird Poop
• How to Play the Spoons
• Make a Juice Box Straw Rocket
• Slappy Games
• History of Flip-Flop Mail
• World's Funniest Joke
• and MUCH MUCH MUCH more!

Check out all the Klutz Books and Kits at Amazon.com! If you purchase through this link you can support SMS Book Reviews.

* I received these books in exchange for a review.  How I got these books has no bearing on my review.

I Am Nujood, Age 10 and Divorced by Nujood Ali with Delphine Minoui

Stars: *****

Three Rivers Press (2010) - division of Random House
Memoir
188 pages


Summary: Nujood is married off at age 10 to a man three times her age. He promises to not touch her till the year after she has her first period but does not keep his promise. He also beats her. Fed up with this life, Nujood runs away to the courthouse to get a divorce. This is the first time a young wife has ever done this and she sets a standard for Yemeni women.

The story is told in alternating chapters going from the past when she was married off and early marriage life to the present when she is filing for divorce, including court proceedings.

It's a short read but includes everything you need to know about Nujood's life, marriage and divorce. It's a bit hard to read at times but the most shocking part of all is for those of you who have or know of a 10 year old girl, to imagine her in Nujood's circumstances.

Nujood's story made me proud to be a woman and sad that women and girls in other countries are being treated the way they are.

Sidenote:
Her story caught the attention of the press around the world and Glamour Magazine gave Nujood Ali the Woman of the Year Award alongside others such as Hillary Clinton and Condoleezza Rice.

All is not necessarily well though: Child bride Nujood Ali's life after divorce.

Links of Interest: A 10-year-old Divorcee Takes Paris (TIME), (Unofficial) Nujood Ali on Twitter, Nujood Ali and Shada Nasser: Woman of the Year (Glamour),

Other Reviews: 5 Minutes for Books,

Buy I Am Nujood: Age 10 and Divorced at amazon.com and support SMS Book Reviews

Booking Through Thursday - On Friday - "Break"

Oops.  I forgot!!!

Yesterday's Booking Through Thursday Question Was:

Do you take breaks while reading a book? Or read it straight through? (And, by breaks, I don’t mean sleeping, eating and going to work; I mean putting it aside for a time while you read something else.)

 First of all, good thing for the clarification because I thought she did mean eating and sleeping as breaks. (Although I don't break when I eat, I often read while eating.)

I do a little of both. There are some books that get done in three days or less (sometimes 2 hours or less) and other books which are ongoing for 3-6 months. A book of 300 pages may last me 2 days or 2 months. It really depends. I always have LOTS of books going at a time (by LOTS I mean 4+.) Some of those books I won't end up reading the whole thing of either because I didn't like it enough and stopped reading it or I only needed to read certain parts of it. Most get finished though.

I usually have at least one of the following going at one time:

• adult nonfiction
• children's nonfiction
• teen or middle grade fiction
• picture books

How about you?

Books with an Environment Theme

Earth Hour is tomorrow at 8:30pm. Don't forget to turn off your lights and electronics for at least a on hour span to help conserve energy and make a statement!

In honour of Earth Hour, I wanted to highlight some environmentally friendly or environment related books I've reviewed here.

Observing/Learning About our Earth
Earth from Above: For Young Readers by Yann-Arthus Bertrand, Robert Burleigh
Many photos of around the world taken from a helicopter overhead.
One Well: The Story of Water on Earth by Rochelle Strauss
Where the water is, who has it, how much is used

Helping our Environment (Kids)
The Adventures of an Aluminum Can
How a can is recycled into something else
10 Things I Can Do to Help My World by Melanie Walsh
A picture book about being environmentally friendly

Helping Our Environment (Adults)
Trash Talk by Dave and Lillian Brummet
Ideas to reduce waste in and around your home


* Photo Credit: Maximo Lopez on Flickr

Cake Wrecks by Jen Yates

Stars: ***

Summary: Jen Yates of the Cake Wrecks blog has made a book. The book isn't just the blog content regurgitated but has never before seen cake photos, information on Jen, the wrecks, the people who make the wrecks, the people who find the wrecks and more. If you aren't familiar with the Cake Wrecks blog, it displays professional cakes that were created wrong, fell apart, look horrible or are spelled wrong. Most are quite funny.

I must say that I had never seen the Cake Wrecks blog before I read this book so the whole concept was new to me. There has been some flack lately about books made from blogs and I do understand that to some degree but at the same time, it's a way to get the content out to those who don't read blogs. If I was a subscriber or regular reader of the Cake Wrecks blog though I wouldn't pick up the book unless I was a crazily devoted fan.

So about the cakes, they are quite funny, some are hilarious, some just make you shake your head. There is a few different categories:

Literal LOLs (the cake decorator took the instructions a little too literally.)
The Dreaded CCC (CCC stands for cupcake cake. I don't think they are all bad but these ones are.)
Beyond Bizarre (disturbing, weird, huh?)
The Poo Phenomenon (apparently most brown icing just looks like poop - seriously)
Oops (mistakes - mostly spelling)
Wedding Wrecks (wedding cakes gone bad)
What's That Supposed to Mean? (so confusing you can't figure it out)
Nuthin' To See Here.... (cakes for bachelor(ette) parties, cakes that shouldn't be dirty but look dirty and other not for kids eyes cakes)
Run Home Wrecks (sports cakes)
Baby Bottoms Up (cakes featuring babies, pregnant women and birth announcements)
Holiday Horrors (holiday cakes gone awry)
Random Wreckage (random of course!)

There are also a few other features. There are a few photos of kids making funny or quizzical faces at their cakes. The author shares some controversies the cakes she displays have created. Overall I think it was a pretty funny book that would make a great coffee table book. It does make me a little wary about ordering cakes though!

Links of Interest: Cake Wrecks Blog, Jen Yates story on Story of My Life, Interview with Jen Yates, Cake Wrecks - the Music Video, Cake Wrecks Twitter, Cake Wrecks Facebook,

Other Reviews:  Stuck in a Book, Piling on the Books,5 Minutes for Books,

Buy Cake Wrecks from amazon.com and support SMS Book Reviews

My Story: The Great Plague: A London Girl's Diary 1665-1666 by Pamela Oldfield

Stars: ****

Scholastic Canada (2001)
Children's Historical Fiction
156 pages
Ages 9-12

Summary: It's 1665 and Alice is looking forward to being back in London. But the plague is spreading quickly, and as each day passes more red crosses appear on doors. When her own aunt is struck down with the disease, Alice is forced to make a decision that could change her life forever.

For children interested in history, specifically the time of The Great Plague, this book really shows what it's like. I'm not a big historical fiction fan but if it's short and sweet like this children's book, I like it. A big plus for me is that it's written like a diary. I love books written like a diary. It covers a span of May - September. Some entries are a page or longer but most are really short. It felt real to me, like it could have passed for a true diary.

My Story is a series of books with vivid imagined accounts of life in the past. We don't have diaries from the 1600's (especially since few could read and write) but this is what they would most likely say, based on our knowledge of the past.

Links of Interest: Read an excerpt of The Great Plague, Pamela Oldfield on JacketFlap,

Other Reviews: Today's Adventure,

Buy My Story: The Great Plague on amazon.com and support SMS Book Reviews

*Thanks to Scholastic for my review copy. How I acquire books does not have any effect on my review. All reviews are honest.

Free Hans Wilhelm Children's Books in PDF Format (Out of Print)

At Children's Books Forever you can download in PDF format a bunch of Hans Wilhelm children's books that are currently Out of Print. They are free to use for any non-commercial means including classroom use with a smartboard, powerpoint or overhead projector.


The stories are really cute, with beautiful illustrations and are a great read. 

Check out the free children's books now.

Or visit Hans Wilhelm's Site.

Enjoy!

The Five Love Languages by Gary Chapman

Stars: *****

As I mentioned in my first post about The 5 Love Languages, I received this book as part of a tour but it didn't arrive in time and then I kept putting off writing the review for some reason.

Summary: Dr. Gary Chapman guides couples in identifying, understanding, and speaking their spouse’s primary love language—quality time, words of affirmation, gifts, acts of service, or physical touch. By learning the five love languages, you and your spouse will discover your unique love languages and learn practical steps in truly loving each other. 

The copy I received is actually a special leather-bound copy, of which amazon says: "This beautiful leather edition is the perfect gift for weddings, holidays, or any special occasion. Includes a promotional code to gain exclusive online access to the new comprehensive love languages assessment." Just a quick reminder that while it was a nice surprise to receive this nice edition, it has no bearing on how I rate or review the book.

I truly believe The 5 Love Languages should be required reading for all couples who intend to get married. Most of the marriages that end in divorce might have been saved if the couple had read and implemented the book.

The author has deduced that everyone has a love language. Some of us may fall under more than one category but we should all have one that we are more like. The Five Love Languages are:

1. Words of Affirmation (I Love You, You're Beautiful, etc..)
2. Quality Time (Doing things together while talking  - not watching TV together in silence.)
3. Receiving Gifts (Flowers, Chocolates, etc..)
4. Acts of Service (Doing dishes/laundry, child care, fixing leaky basement etc..)
5. Physical Touch (NOT Sex - massage, hand holding, touching arm while talking etc..)

Gary Chapman explains that your love language is the way that one knows that he or she is loved.  For example while I might enjoy a gift from my husband, I'd much prefer him to do some work around the house or take care of the kids (Acts of Service.) If my husband showered me with gifts and said I love you all the time but never did anything for me, I'd wonder if he really loved me. For you it may be different.

The problem is, most people try to do their love language to show their love to their partner. However if his/her love language is different from yours, they may not be feeling the love. If you want words of affirmation but your husband wants quality time and you only give words of affirmation, he's not going to feel loved. If he gives you mostly quality time but no words of affirmation, you aren't going to feel loved.

The book is amazing and the author has created many different versions of the book as well
such as The Five Love Languages:

• Men's Edition
• of Children
• of Tenagers
• Singles Edition
• of Apology

Plus he has some other books related to love languages, marriage, and more.

The author is a Christian and mentioned God once or twice but more in regards to responding to a client who talked about God. It's never preachy and you don't have to believe in a God or the Christian God to get use from the book.

Links of Interest: The 5 Love Languages (Information, quizzes etc.),  Gary Chapman,

Other Reviews: Grasping for the Wind, Alita Reads,

Buy The 5 Love Languages at Amazon.com and support SMS Book Reviews

Straight Talk for Teenage Girls by Annette Fuson

Stars: ****

Author House (2008)
Teen Nonfiction
125 Pages

Summary: Straight Talk for Teenage Girls is information to help teen girls make better choices about life situations so they will grow to adulthood successfully. Topics include: self-esteem, dealing with emotions, making decisions, friendships with girls/boys, getting out of bad situations, handling mistakes and reaching goals. Because of the self-tests, case studies at each chapter and the 50 questions from real girls, adults who work with teens use the book for discussions. The information comes from classes taught in school for over 20 years. The book is up-beat, positive and easy to understand. The mission is to help all girls make choices that will lead to a happier life.

When I was a teen I read every book I could get my hands on about puberty, being a teen, teen relationships etc... I think it is because of this that I wasn't in for any major shockers when I was a teen and I was prepared for everything fairly well. I'm always on the lookout for nonfiction for teens so that when my girls or even my nieces get to those years, I will know what to recommend.

Straight Talk for Teenage Girls is a good book for teen girls to read, to answer some of their pressing questions about all kinds of subjects: the teen years, self-esteem, common teen problems, emotions, friendships, boys vs girls, getting out of bad situations, understanding sex, mistakes, goals/dreams and more.

It's written in a way that I think makes it both easy to understand, but not as if the author is talking down to the reader. There is no judging or hidden underlying messages. I personally dislike books for teens that are slipping in "be abstinent" or other lessons into each chapter. I prefer books that give teens all the facts and let them decide.

I especially thought the section on Getting Out of Bad Situations was very well written and full of usable ideas. It includes how to leave a party you aren't comfortable at without looking uncool, how to get out of a situation that may lead to sex if you aren't ready as well as info on dating older boys and hanging around with friends who probably aren't the best friends for you. I just wish it was a bit longer.

There is a great quiz to find out if your boyfriend is right for you (good boyfriend material) which you can also find online - Is Your Boyfriend Right For You? (PDF file)

Links of Interest: Straight Talk for Teenage Girls, PUMP Interview with Annette Fuson,

Other Reviews: NONE YET


Buy Straight Talk for Teenage Girls at amazon.com and support SMS Book Reviews

In My Mailbox Monday - Mar 22

This is the day when I highlight all the new books that have come into my house since the last time I participated.

In My Mailbox is hosted at The Story Siren while Mailbox Monday is hosted at The Printed Page. Since they are basically the same meme, I do them together. Check the links to find posts from others.

So what have I received for review?

The S.T.A.R. Powered Twins: A Law of Attraction Book for Children by Dorothy A. Lecours (Received through Paula at Author Marketing Experts)
You know, the law of attraction, that using words positively is more likely to have positive results. That you should speak as if something you want to happen has already happened.

WOW: A Handbook for Living by Zen Ohashi and Zono Kurazono (Received through The Product Review Place)
This interesting book isn't pages of text like most books. It's short little ancedotes and quotes scattered all over the pages. It includes simple exercises.

That's It!

Week in Review (Mar 14 - 20)

Here's what happened this week:

April Read-a-thons
In My Mailbox Monday - Mar 15
I'd Like to Thank My Crew
All A Twitter by Tee Morris
How to Steal a Car by Pete Hautman
Barnes and Noble Ratings and YA (looking for feedback on this one.)

Plus I picked a winner for the Happy Birthday To You Giveaway.

What else?

I didn't stick to my schedule very well this week. I was suppose to be getting a whole bunch of book reviews done too and didn't. l'll have to mass type reviews today and tomorrow and just set them to post each day.  Also we found out my youngest child has asthma but she refuses to take her inhaler. Screams and screams.


Check out my weekly wordle (a wordle of the words used in my blog posts for this week)
Click for bigger picture.




About the Upcoming Week  

Expect lots of book reviews as I try to catch up on books read but not reviewed yet. (Yes I know I said that last week but this time's for real!) Also Monday I'm participating in a Pump Up Your Book Tour.  

Barnes and Noble Ratings and YA (Young Adult)

By now you may or may not have seen a blog post at Meg Cabot's blog about Barnes and Noble's new rating system.

Go over there for the full post but the very basics of it is that Barnes and Noble, in conjunction with Common Sense Media designed a rating system so that books for tweens and teens could be more specific about what is in the book (kissing, dating, sex, drinking etc..) and give red, yellow or green lights so the book, based on age. It's a little confusing so you may want to just read the post. Just be sure to come back.

Well I think it's a bit ridiculous. I mean the idea is great, but I think the execution is poor. As Cabot explains, they're basically saying a book we all probably read between 9-11 is supposed to be for 14 and up. Are You There God, It's Me Margaret is meant to be a tween book, not a teen book. It's about periods and sexuality yes, but it's about beginning those things, which you do between 9-11. By 14 most already have their period and know some basics about sex. A book where the main character is 17 and it talks about a bit more mature things, it recommended for 12 and up. That doesn't make any sense to me.

I've actually been wondering if maybe libraries should split the Young Adult section into two groups: young teen (13-15) and older teens (16+) because there some books that are in the YA section that I think are a bit advanced for young teens and some YA books that are a bit immature for older teens.

So please share your thoughts. What do you think about the Barnes and Noble situation? What about separating the YA section of a library into two? I'd like to hear your thoughts.

*Barnes and Noble photo from Flickr User chriserickphotography
*Library photo from Flickr User Meaghan K

How To Steal a Car by Pete Hautman

Stars: ****

Scholastic Press (2009)
Teen Fiction (Young Adult)
176 pages


Summary: The first car was an accident. Kelleigh didn't plan on stealing it, it just sort of happened. But the rush of the experience, the excitement of it all, it gets to Kelleigh. Her life seems to be a crazy mess, and stealing cars helps Kelleigh forget about how her lawyer father is defending a rapist, her parents don't have the best relationship, her best friend is annoying her more than ever, and the guy she likes is lukewarm towards her. Stealing cars is a release. The only problem? She can’t stop.

I have to admit it's the title that made me want to read this. I love how Kelleigh is writing an essay for school about stealing cars while she is doing so. She uses what she knows and what others tell her about stealing cars and we see a paragraph here and there sparsed inbetween the text. I think it's a creative way to get it in there. Seeing the whole essay at the end would have been a poor choice and doing it this way made it much more interesting.

Although the book is about stealing cars, it's not as shocking and wild as I'd thought it would be which isn't necessarily a bad things. It means it's still good for younger teen readers and is something new, not a teen book form of Speed or The Fast and the Furious. As Pete Hautman says on his website:

"Ever see that movie "Gone in 60 Seconds," or play the video game "Grand Theft Auto?" It's nothing at all like that."

The book was an interesting, fun and quick read but I think it could have been a bit better. I don't want to spoil anything but the ending wasn't how I was expecting it and it felt like we were being left hanging a bit. It's a good read if you want something a bit different.

Links of Interest: Pete Hautman, Pete Hautman Says (blog), Minnesota Public Radio (audio of author talking about book, reading from book etc.),

Other Reviews: Pop Culture Junkie, The Compulsive Reader, The Book Muncher,

Buy How to Steal a Car at Amazon.com and support SMS Book Reviews

All a Twitter: A Personal and Professional Guide to Social Networking with Twitter by Tee Morris

Stars: *****

Summary:

All a Twitter delivers quick, smart answers to the questions everyone’s asking about Twitter: What’s it about? What’s it good for? Is it worth your time? How do you get started? Where can you find great Twitter feeds to follow? How can you build a worldwide audience for your own Tweets? You name it, Tee Morris answers it–and shows you exactly how to do it, step-by-step, in plain English. No experience? Looking for something new to do with your Tweets? No problem: this is the Twitter book for everyone! 

I picked this one up at the library because I wanted to see if there was anything about twitter I didn't already know or could be doing better. I got through this book pretty quickly and I enjoyed every minute of it. It's the perfect book for someone new to twitter but it's also helpful if you've been on it awhile. 

Many topics are covered including: what is twitter, setup, talking on twitter, using programs to tweet (like tweetdeck), twitter tools, tracking twitter, twitter to go (Blackberry), iphone, trouble with twitter, types of tweets, business on twitter, the darkside of twitter, why the author likes twitter, more tools for twitter and twitterspeak. 

Here are some of what I think are the most important points he made:

• Fill in your profile and get a custom avatar. (I agree that this is important. I don't usually follow those who have no bio info. If you won't tell me a little about who you are, I'm not interested.)
• Don't AUTO-DM. (Please, please stop. I get so many and a bunch of people will automatically unfollow you or even block you just for sending them. DMs are for personal messages you personally send, not for ads for your site or requests to join you on facebook. Welcomes aren't so bad but still...)
• Numbers aren't everything. (Despite what Ashton Kutcher and CNN showed us, it's not all about how many followers you have. If you have 500 000 followers and follow 80 people, I won't follow you, sorry. The point of twitter is not to race to a million followers, it's to build a network, a community of people.)
• Don't just advertise yourself. (It's okay to include links to your company or websites but your account shouldn't be all that. I don't follow any accounts whose last 10 tweets are identical ads.)
• Don't just re-tweet or quote people. (For those who think constant retweeting and quoting famous people is a good way to use your twitter account, consider the following.)

"Re-tweets aren't the problem, but they are a problem when your opening page is nothing but re-tweets. [...] If you really think this is active participation and effective networking, try this when you're out with a group of people: Hold a conversation with someone using only what you hear others around you say at that moment. If you know the people who are helping you with the conversation, add in their names. "Tee says..." or "Michelle says.." followed by what they said. If someone asks you a question, don't answer but throw out something else you've overheard. Watch the reaction of the person you're talking to, and the people around you. This is how consistent re-tweeting comes across." - pg 237-238

Tee does such a great job of explaining twitter and it's related tools and apps and he's funny to boot. The only qualm I had about the book is it needs some editing. There were quite a few typos.

e.g. Talking about the client DestroyTwitter, at one time it's referred to as DestoryTwitter., "are found not" instead of "are not found" and "twiiter" instead of "twitter." That's not all of them. However in each instance you can fully understand what is being said and I'm sure these will all be fixed when a second edition is written.


Recommended for all twitter users, new and old.

Links of Interest: Tee Morris, Bird House Rules (All a Twitter page),

Other Reviews: NONE YET

Buy All a Twitter on Amazon.com and support SMS Book Reviews

I'd like to thank my crew...

... wait a minute. I don't have a crew! Eating Y.A. Books awarded me the One Lovely Blog Award.

RULES:

1. Post on your blog that you received the award.
2. Choose 15 other newly discovered bloggers that you love, and award them with this.
3. Send them a message/comment to let them know.

Okay so I've been discovering new book blogs like CRAZY lately. So I'll pick 15 of the ones that made an impression on me:

1. The Neverending Shelf
2. Literarily Speaking
3. Kinna Reads
4. The Book Guru
5. Book Blab
6. Maxine Reads
7. The Cajun Book Lady
8. Wendy's Minding Spot
9. Crazy for Books
10. Where the Books Take Me
11. YshaBella's Bookshelf
12. Ramblings of a Librarian Assistant
13. Tales of Whimsy
14. A Cup of Tea and a Cozy for Me
15. The Fiction Enthusiast

In My Mailbox Monday - Mar 15

This is the day when I highlight all the new books that have come into my house since the last time I participated.

In My Mailbox is hosted at The Story Siren while Mailbox Monday is hosted at The Printed Page. Since they are basically the same meme, I do them together. Check the links to find posts from others.

So what have I received for review?

Obesity Free Forever by Georgene Dana Collins (received from Paula at Author Marketing Experts)
Subtitle is Losing Weight from the Inside Out. Ways to overcome hunger and feel full, recognize weight loss obstacles, visualize the new you and use it to achieve success, take control of your life and emotions and maintain weight loss and increase energy.

Step on a Crack: Overcoming Depression - a memoir by Jill Byrne with Michael Ransom (received from Paula at Author Marketing Experts)
Jill Byrne was a psychologist and a counsellor but was plauged with depression herself. This is her memoir of recovery and her life now.


At Home With Laurie Ann by Laurie Ann McMillin Ray (Received from Paula at Author Marketing Experts)
A decorator guide to turning your home into a place you'll love. For the beginner or intermediate who wants tips on design.

An Alter in the World by Barbara Brown Taylor (Received from Shelf Awareness, pub by HarperOne)
"...she shares how she learned to encounter God far beyond the walls of the church. Taylor reveals meaningful ways to discover the sacred in the small things we do and see, from simple practices such as walking, working and prayer. Something as ordinary as hanging clothes on a clothesline becomes an act of meditation if we pay attention to what we're doing and take time to notice the sights, smells, and sound around us."

Sewing a Friendship by Natalie Tinti (Direct Request to Author)
This book was written and illustrated by a 10 year old girl and is about friendship.

Horrid Henry's Joke Book by Francesca Simon (Received from Sourcebooks Jabberwocky for a book tour in April) Yep, another Horrid Henry book. I couldn't resist.

Is There a Monster Over There? by Sally O. Lee (received from Bostick Communications)
About becoming friends with monsters

April Read-a-thons

I really need to get caught up on reading so I'm signing up for TWO readathons, that even overlap with each other. Yep that's right. April will be my reading month.

From April 5 to April 11 I'll be doing the Clean Away the Clutter Read-a-Thon hosted by The Neverending Shelf.

From April 10 - April 11 I'll be participating in Dewey's 24-Hour Read-a-Thon.

Normally when I do a read-a-thon I post updates every hour or two and do every mini challenge and keep up on twitter which is fun but then I don't get much reading done. So this time, for both of them, I'll be doing more reading I will still post updates and check twitter and do mini challenges but not as often.

Consider joining one or both and catch up on your reading too!

What will I be reading?

Books from these lists:
ARC Reading Challenge 2010
Books Won Reading Challenge

Week in Review (Mar 7 - Mar 13)

Here's what happened this week:

Too Many Books by Gilles Tibo & Miss Malarkey Leaves No Reader Behind by Judy Finchler and Keven O'Malley
In My Mailbox Monday - Mar 8
Happy Birthday To You by Margot Theis Raven
GIVEAWAY: Happy Birthday To You by Margot Theis Raven (open till Mar 15)
The Amanda Project: invisible i by Stella Lennon
I Am An Emotional Creature by Eve Ensler
Read an E-book Week Update
The Man's Book by Thomas Fink
Booking Through Thursday - Illustrious
Let's Discuss Nonfiction


What else?

I did pretty well keeping to my new blog schedule but as you can see I added in some extra posts. This was partly because of the giveaway and also because I need to post a lot in the next little while to catch up on reviews.

Check out my weekly wordle (a wordle of the words used in my blog posts for this week)
Click for bigger picture.



About the Upcoming Week

Next week is March Break and after that I will be bringing a bunch of my review books I don't want to keep to my playgroup for them to go through. So I have a bunch of books I read months ago that need to be reviewed so I can give them away. So expect lots of reviews next week. If you don't like blogs that post a lot, please don't get scared, I won't post many times a day every day for the most part.

Book Blogger Hop

Crazy for Books is hosting the Book Blog Hop. She's got a linky for you to add a link to your book blog. All you have to do is repost the information in her post on your own blog. It's a weekly feature.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Every day I seem to find another book blog that I start following. In the spirit of the Friday Follow, I thought it would be cool to do a Book Blog Hop to give us all bookies a chance to connect and find new blogs that we may be missing out on!  It will also give blog readers a chance to find other book blogs that they may not know existed!

So, if you'd like to participate, just repost this on your blog, sign MckLinky below, and check out other blogs in MckLinky! Let's connect and make new book bloggy friends!!  So, if you consider yourself a book blogger, come join the fun!

Pretty please - Your blog should have content related to books, including, but not limited to book reviews.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

So head on over there and join in so other people can find your book blog!

Let's Discuss Nonfiction

Note: I'm looking for feedback. Please consider commenting about your thoughts on nonfiction as well as your thoughts on my post in general. Thanks.

When you think nonfiction, what sorts of books come to mind? Textbooks? How-To Manuals? Essays? Scientific Papers? Biographies?

There are many different kinds of nonfiction books out there, on any subject. They are not all the same in writing style either. They are not all dry, boring or technical. It amazes me that more people don't like reading nonfiction. I like reading for pleasure too but I love to learn and anything that helps me learn is a way I like to spend my time.

Most people assume fiction is made up and nonfiction is real. While that's basically correct, technically a nonfiction book could include incorrect information. However the author would have to believe it to be the truth.

From Wikipedia:
Nonfiction is an account or representation of a subject which is presented as fact. This presentation may be accurate or not; that is, it can give either a true or a false account of the subject in question. However, it is generally assumed that the authors of such accounts believe them to be truthful at the time of their composition.

Some people wonder how memoirs can be considered nonfiction. Remember as long as the author believes it to be true it's nonfiction. Besides, memoirs fall under an umbrella term called Creative Nonfiction:

From Wikipedia:
“Ultimately, the primary goal of the creative nonfiction writer is to communicate information, just like a reporter, but to shape it in a way that reads like fiction.” Forms within this genre include personal essays, memoir, travel writing, food writing, biography, literary journalism, and other hybridized essays."

You can find nonfiction on all topics. What do you want to learn more about? E.g. Fishing, Camping, Cooking, Basketball, Parenting, Science, Astrology, Dating, Marriage, Psychology, Computers, Scrapbooking, Health, Fitness, Video Games, Movies, Environment, Sex, Religion, Language,  History, Architecture.

You can get a book on just about every topic, no matter how precise. E.g. Metal Engraving, Museum Science, Graphology, Doctrines, Land Economics, German Grammar, Roof Covering etc....

So give nonfiction a chance. If there is anything you want to know more about, look it up. Search for "subject nonfiction book" where you replace subject with the actual subject. Or peruse a book review blog for your next nonfiction read.

Related Links:

Nonfiction Book Awards (at Wikipedia)
New Nonfiction Books (on Twitter) - tweet for each new nonfiction book on date of release
Mrs. Dowling's Nonfiction Nook
Nonfiction Article (at Wikipedia)

Book Review Blogs (who review a large amount of nonfiction):

Me!
A Striped Armchair
Citizen Reader
Brevity's Nonfiction Blog


(If you know of a book blog that reviews mostly nonfiction, adult or child, please submit the url. I'll include it here and visit of course. You can use my contact form or just comment here. Thanks.)

Also Puss Reboots doesn't review mainly nonfiction but here is a list of all the nonfiction she's reviewed to date.



*Photo courtesy of Shavar Ross on Flickr.

Booking Through Thursday - Illustrious

Today's BTT question is:

How do you feel about illustrations in your books? Graphs? Photos? Sketches?

I enjoy graphics, photos and pictures that break up the monotony of words in a book. However I don't like graphic novels or comic books. I don't want more pictures than words. I like children's fiction that often includes an illustration at the beginning of each chapter or even sometimes throughout the book (like in Horrid Henry.) When I read Girl, Interrupted a long while back I liked that it includes a copy of some of the forms in her medical file. It's hard to explain what a form looks like and what's on it. Sometimes it's easier to show things.

Also since I read a lot of nonfiction, most of what I read has graphs, photos, sketches, charts, and all manner of "illustrations" throughout the book. Maybe that's part of why I love nonfiction.

The Man's Book by Thomas Fink

Stars: ***1/2

Little, Brown [Division of Hachette Book Group] 2009
Adult Nonfiction
240 pages

Summary: The answers to every man's burning questions are within these pages, from the morning wet shave to the whiskey night-cap, from hunting deer with a .30-06 to wooing women like 007. At a time when the sexes are muddled and masculinity is marginalized, THE MAN'S BOOK unabashedly celebrates maleness. Organized by subject in a man-logical way, it's the go-to guide for anyone with a Y chromosome.

First let me say I decided I wanted to read this book even though I'm not a Man because I was curious. I tried to get my husband and his friends to read the book but they just barely flipped through it, it wasn't for them. Now that I've read it, I can see they wouldn't have enjoyed it. I guess they're not "modern men" but that's okay with me.

This book is not what I expected. I expected the drinking games and card games and talk about women and manly problems. There is a little bit of that, but not how I expected it and there is lots I wasn't expecting. Not only that, I had problems with some of what was said. So I"m going to go over my problem areas and areas I really liked:

Public Bathrooms
I found this section to be the best and most interesting. Apparently there are rules for choosing a uriinal. When I go to a public bathroom, I always choose an end stall so I'm only next to one potential person. I thought that was only me. So I found it interesting to learn that one of the two basic rules for picking a urinal is to maximize the distance between you and other men. Also after learning the rules, you take a short urinal test to see if you learned. So I took the test and got 63/69! Not bad for a girl. (The first link in the links of interest section below has a video that explains the urinal rules.)

Marriage
This section includes some interesting information but I had a problem with the When to Marry guidelines. The author suggests that it's best for a man to marry someone 1/2 their age plus 7. This gets even crazier the older the man gets. So then a 24 y/o man should marry a 19 y/o and a 40 y/o man should marry  a 27 y/o women, and a 64 y/o man should marry a 39 y/o women. I don't think so! You should marry based on love and respect, not a certain age.

How to Start Smoking + Smoking Etiquette
Yes you read that right. I don't care if people have the right to smoke, I don't think it's okay to suggest that people start smoking or tell them how. Advantages of Smoking? Are you kidding me? NOTHING is worth dying of cancer. Also, later in the Smoking Etiquette section it says that when you are visiting someone else's house, you shouldn't have to leave to smoke. Perhaps avid smokers will disagree with me but if you choose to blacken your lungs, do it on your time. It's not like it's just the smell that's bothering us, you're actually getting smoke in our lungs.

"As host, if one guest shows annoyance at another's smoking, the easiest solution is to isolate not the smoker, but the complaining guest."

Cooking
The cooking section was good. I learned how to make an omelette and a recipe for chile as well as back information on certain foods like bacon and chili peppers. Also what items a bachelor needs for his kitchen and cooking techniques.

Idling
There is a list of books that are good for men, films for men to watch, silly games to play and a 2 or 3 page section on Ernest Hemingway and James Bond.

Arts and Sciences
The arts and sciences section at the back is full of random facts, not necessarily man-specific like holiday dates and astronomical events.

Overall
The book has some winning points and good information but it also has some parts that I didn't agree with or that were a bit bland and boring, like the full classification system of whiskey. But then I'm not a man. The 5 men I showed the book to were not interested in reading it but they weren't big readers either. I think this book would be better for an over 30 business man type.

EDIT: Added March 13, 2010

I forgot to mention that because the author is a Mathematician, you will find lots of forumulas, charts and other mathematical items. If you aren't a mathematician, you can just skip over those parts but I did find it a bit annoying sometimes. I love math but some of these were beyond me.

e.g 
Ideal Proportions of a man measured in arm span, halves, widths, forearms, fingers etc...
a full mathematical formula for figuring out which urinal stall is best
optimal loading of plates on weight machine
average scores for darts
and that's just in the first two chapters!

Links of Interest: 5 How-to Videos on Man's Book subjects, The Man's Book Website (sample pages, author interview and more) , Thomas Fink's Website, The Man's Book on Facebook,

Other Reviews: She is Too Fond of Books, Rhapsody in Books,

Buy The Man's Book from Amazon.com and support SMS Book Reviews

* I received this book from the publisher for review. How I got the book does not affect my review.

Read an E-Book Week Update

I wanted to share some tweets I've been seeing around related to e-books this week. Even if you aren't on twitter you can follow the links and check it out!

You can also check out the #ebooks hashtag for more ebook tweets!

You may also want to follow @bantamspectra @PaulaatAME and @BookBrowse on twitter or check out my Book Trade or Book Review Twitter Lists.

I am an Emotional Creature by Eve Ensler

Stars: ****

Villard [Imprint of Random House] (2010)
Teen Fiction (but more like nonfiction)
176 pages

Summary: Eve Ensler (author of The Vagina Monologues) writes fictional monologues and stories inspired by girls around the globe.
Among the girls Ensler creates are an American who struggles with peer pressure in a suburban high school; an anorexic blogging as she eats less and less; a Masai girl from Kenya unwilling to endure female genital mutilation; a Bulgarian sex slave, no more than fifteen, a Chinese factory worker making Barbies; an Iranian student who is tricked into a nose job; a pregnant girl trying to decide if she should keep her baby.

This book was both amazing and shocking at the same time. These monologues could easily have been written by the teen and tween girls themselves. Eve Ensler did a great job of channeling what girls around the world are thinking.  One could easily mistake these monologues as being by many different teen girls but Eve Ensler crafted them after traveling the world, witnessing events and listening to real conversations. She mentions that sometimes they were inspired by an article, experience, memory, dream, wish, image or moment of grief or rage.

The monologues are short, some in poem form and so it's a quick read, a book you could read a little here and there, except for one thing. It's raw, and emotional, and hard to read at times. So you can't just read a few pages and go back to playing with your children. Your mind will stay on the subject you read about. You will think of your own children (especially if they're girls) in the same situation and shudder.

It's also a needed book. The plight of girls around the world has been hidden for too long. Eve Ensler subtitled her book well by calling it The Secret Life of Girls Around the World.

Eve Ensler is also the founder of V-Day:

V-Day is a global movement to stop violence against women and girls. V-Day is a catalyst that promotes creative events to increase awareness, raise money and revitalize the spirit of existing anti-violence organizations. V-Day generates broader attention for the fight to stop violence against women and girls, including rape, battery, incest, female genital mutilation (FGM) and sexual slavery. 

Vgirls is a sub-website of V-Day just for girls. When you click that link you will be taken to the website but first it shows a special presentation that covers exactly what the book is about. I suggest if you have any interest in this book at all that you click the link and check out the beautiful presentation. It's a bit long but it's AWESOME! All the words in the presentation are from the book.

Related Links: You can view a large portion of this book online at Google Books, V-Day.Org on Twitter, Eve Ensler Bio,

Other Reviews: Reading Rocks,

Buy I am an Emotional Creature at Amazon.com and support SMS Book Reviews