Book Babble - September / October 2016

Hello and welcome to my September & October 'Book Babble' :-)

It got to early October and I realised I hadn't posted my September blog, and actually I hadn't even written the 'Babble' part of the blog.  Woops!  So rather than rush to post a simplified September Book Babble I've combined the two months.

O.M.Freaking.God!!! Do you know how close Christmas is????  Do ya?????  Aaarrgghhh!!!  

I was asked by our principal if the student librarians would like to decorate a wooden Christmas tree.  Started in 2014 as a Community Art project it has 'taken off'.  Last year I remember walking down the street and admiring the creativity of the school students in decorating the trees ... yeah OK so some weren't to my standards, but you've got to admire the kids for trying.

So I was really excited when I was asked ... and of course said yes without asking the kids - 'cause ya know ... holidays already!!!  And the first thing that popped into my head for decorating .... I'll give you a clue .... I work in a library!!!!!  You guessed it .... recycled book Christmas decorations!!! How awesome would that be?  So I spent some time during the Term 3 break and created some templates to show the student librarians.  It is soooo hard cutting up books :-(  But they are going to a better life, and the ones I had at home were old ones other people had thrown out.

And the student librarians when they were told were (mostly) really excited as well.  I've been spending morning tea times with whoever chooses to come in showing them how to do all sorts of Christmasy type crafts that we can put on the tree ... when it blimmin arrives!!!  We are now into week 4 and it still hasn't arrived.  We are going to make heaps of extra decorations because they thought it would be cool to decorate our library with them ... yay for eager student librarians!!!

I will hopefully have images of the finished tree to share with you all in my next blog post (fingers crossed).

Term 4 is also a time when many of us perform our stock takes.  Gah!!!!  Last year I didn't close our library.  Rather I did a running stock take scanning sections of the library when the visiting classes weren't using it.  This worked really well and I am planning on doing the same this year ... well I was!!!  It's now week 4 and I've yet to actually start!!!!  Aaarrrggghhhh!!!!  And I have a Scholastic book fair running over week 7 & 8 which has to be in our library as there is no other space in the school.  Actually the library is the best place to host a book fair as it is another way of promoting our gorgeous library to our school community.  Unfortunately for my stock take it means I can't get to our shelves as the pop-up bookshop shelves are in the way.  Oh well, I'll figure something out. 

And of course part of performing our stock takes, or at least making it easier to scan our resources, is the dratted WEEDING experience.  As a lover of all things books I find it quite hard to dispose of any book, however to keep our collections fresh and easily accessible by our users I just have to 'put my big girl panties on' and do it!  There is lots of information out there to help you determine just what you should weed, and how often, but at the end of the day you need to do what is right for your school library.  Some libraries don't keep anything older than 10 years, and in some ways this makes sense.  After all, if we only keep purchasing resources and only ever disposing of those that are badly damaged our collections will become overly large, unmanageable and uninspiring.  

We want to provide an environment that tempts our young visitors to try something new or delve into an adventure of the written kind.  If our shelves are overcrowded and our resources are old and manky looking how can we create displays to showcase the awesomeness that books are?  How can we help promote a love for reading in our students and a willingness to be adventurous if we don't keep our collections fresh and funky?  Weeding is a necessary evil and you just have to determine what is important for you library and what is best for your users.  

One of the hardest decisions I find is the weeding of underused resources ... especially those that I have actually purchased ... well not me personally, but those I chose with the idea that our students would enjoy them and want to read them.   Books that are falling apart, or are out of date are certainly easier to weed :-/ but they are only a small percentage of what needs to be weeded.  The ones that really get to me are the nearly new books that look like they've been through a war-zone. You know the ones - only been issued one or two times and they've had gross food spilt in it, or the younger sibling has ripped it / drawn in it, or the new pet has used it as a chew toy, or O.M.God ... wet swimming togs.  Don't get me started on wet togs!!!!! Just because the books don't have feelings doesn't mean that we don't feel for them and the short lives they lived spreading only a small percentage of the joy and excitement they could have given :-(

Of course one of the other problems we often have with the weeding process is actually disposing of our weeded items.  Teaching staff, parents and students have the best intentions when they see piles of books being 'chucked out' and they try and save them.  Having to justify this part of our job can be quite tiresome and problematic and often causes us to be secretive with the process.  Having the caretaker on your side certainly helps :-P  And having a clear policy on what, when, why, how etc will definitely make it easier for you to make those weeding decisions and cause less angst when you find you self having to justify what you are doing ... which I'm sorry to say will happen :-/

Just to annoy you all and give you something to get stuck in your heads at the end of my BookBabble here is a little ditty I came up with to get me through the weeding process ... :-

How many books would a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck books?
A woodchuck would chuck a 'whole' (or insert appropriate rhyming word :-o) lot of books if a woodchuck could chuck books!

#SozNotSoz ;-P

And in other news last and this month ... 

• Hawkes Bay Book Talk didn't have a book discussion gathering in term 3.  Rather we attended the 'Battle of the BookClubs' event that was organised by Wardini Books on September 15th in Havelock North.  This fantastic event was to raise money for CanTeen, a really truly worthwhile cause.  Having never attended before and being a group of C&YA librarians we were expecting to do terribly ... hence our team name ... 'Destroyers of the Universe'.  We had such a blast, and unbelievably were leading most of the way through the evening!!!  We 'may' have also been the noisiest group there!!!  We ended up coming 3rd by 5 points which was blimmin awesome (also 6 of us to the other two teams 10).  Our downfall ... the 'Inappropriate Actresses' round - where two absolutely amazing ladies acted out scenes from different books ... in a way that was totally off-putting and hilarious.  Note for next time ... listen for the clues!!!   Well done to Gareth & Lou for your fantastic organisation and a truly memorable evening, with over $3,000 raised for CanTeen.

So here is WIBR during September and October ......

NOTE: ** Denotes sexual content (school librarians use your discretion)

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Little Red and the Very Hungry Lion / Alex T. Smith [Paperback]

5 stars

Picture Book 0-6,  Alternative Fairy Tales

This is a great twist on the 'Little Red Riding Hood' tale.

Set in the jungle, Little Red goes to visit her sick Auntie, and along the way encounters a cunning Lion.  And of course manages to outwit him!

A great story to share on its own, but it would also be a great one to read after the traditional 'Little Red Riding Hood' and then get students to write their own twist on the tale.

FYI ... I LOVE Alternative Fairy Tales ... if you hadn't already guessed :-P

Picture This / Alison Jay [Paperback]
5 stars
Picture Book 0-6
This is an absolutely amazing picture book. 

I have a few of Alison Jay's other books and all her illustrations are done in a way that makes them look like old dried paintings.  Simply stunning!!!

The concept of this book is so simple ... one word and an image to teach children what it means (dog, hill, ball etc).

But this is not simply a book for young children to learn to read with.  Oh no!!!  It is soooo much more.  Each illustration leads onto the next and has so much more depth to it than simply depicting the word.  You need to look closer and you will find some of your favourite nursery rhymes (the clock page has a mouse sitting on top of it, and the clock-face is pointing to 1pm).  And the characters or images that are in some of the other illustrations are not just exact replicas ... they are constantly changing.

This is a book to share with your young children to teach them to read or understand what words mean, but it is also one that older children and adults can get lost in as well.  Absolutely totally and utterly fantastic!!! 

Splat the Cat and the Late Library Book / Rob Scotton [Paperback]
4 stars
Picture Book 0-6

I love the Splat the Cat books.  He is such a little monkey!!!  And this one is even better because it involves library books.

Poor Splat.  His room is such a mess, and like any kid has outgrown so many of the things in there.  So his parents come up with a fantastic idea ... have a clean-up and donate the things he no longer uses.  Except ... dun dun dun ... Splat finds a library book in his messy room, and of course the books are all getting donated ... to the library!!!!  Oh no!!! What is poor Splat going to do????

This was a really cool book to read to the classes as they came into the library, because aside from being funny, it was a good way to relate their own experiences of late library books to the story.

Yuck! Said the Yak / Alex English [Paperback]
5 stars

Picture Book 0-6.

A gorgeous story about a young boy who tries to get a Yak to try different foods ... very reminiscent of us parents trying to get our kids to eat :-/

Simple text and fabulous illustrations make for a fun read-aloud.  I particularly love the facial expressions on both the Yak and the young boy.

There is enough repetition in the book that young children will be able to follow along really easily.

The Erth Dragons Bk1 The Wearle / Chris D'Lacey [Paperback]

4 stars

Children 7-12. Fantasy. 

It took me a while to 'get into' this book. I just wasn't quite in the mood. But once I really started reading it ... Wow!  What a fantastic read. 

Told from the POV of dragons, with humans being the secondary characters.  The Wearle are a group of dragons who came to earth many years, or in their terminology 'turns' ago, to search for an earlier group who went missing.  Like any group there is dissension in the ranks, and a fear or hatred of the local creatures (in this instance, the homs, or humans). 

This is a great twist on the traditional style of dragon books.  Definitely worth a read. 

The School For SuperVillains / Louie Stowell [Paperback]

5 stars
Children 7-12. SuperHeroes & Villains. Good & Evil.      

What a fun read, and quite quick.  A great read for fans of SuperVillains & SuperHeroes alike. 

There are some strange twists and turns that make you think "oh I wasn't expecting that!!!"' But when you realise that this book was originally written as part of an interactive eBook on the Fiction Express website it all makes sense!

My only complaint (for the publishers) is that the font is too small.  This would be a fantastic read to capture the 'not so keen' and struggling readers if it wasn't for the font size.  Actually it would make a great read-aloud. 

For more info about these fanatic interactive eBooks visit the Fiction Express website.

The Witch's Vacuum Cleaner and other stories / Terry Pratchett [Hardback]

4 stars

Children 7-12. Humorous stories. Short stories. 

A collection of 14 'fantastically funny stories' with all kinds of magic, imagination, mayhem and fun for all kinds of readers. 

I haven't read any Terry Pratchett for years. I used to really enjoy his Discworld novels even though I didn't read them all.  This collection was written when Pratchett was a junior reported. A great nonsensical collection that would make for a good short read aloud session. Large fonts and short stories make this an easy read for year 3 & 4 students. 

The Dragonprince Trilogy Bk1 The Dragonprince's Legacy / Aaron Pogue [eBook]

4 stars

YA. Fantasy. 

Reading this has reminded me of why I Love fantasy!

It is filled with action, adventure, angst, good & evil ... but really what is good or evil???  Oh yeah and it's got wizards and dragons!!!!

I particularly liked the character development of Daven, our young shepherd turned apprentice wizard. 

I also liked how many of the other characters showed both their strengths and weaknesses - after all we are not all consistently 'good' in the face of adversity. 

A really good fantasy read for Teens and Adults.

Out For You : All Bite, No Growl** / Jenika Snow [eBook]

3 stars

YA. Paranormal. Romance. Coming-of-Age. LGBT

This is actually a quite good romance. There are only two sex scenes - middle & end - and they are not that graphic.  

The story revolves around a group of kids who have just finished high school. Case & Devon, two lion shifters who have been friends forever, also happen to be mates, but living in their community means that same-sex relationships are a major No-No!!  Willow who feels like a real out-sider in the clan has loved these guys for years, having grown up with them, and has yet to find her mate. 

3013 Bk13 Primal / Laurie Roma [eBook]
4 stars
Adult.  Paranormal.  Sci-Fantasy.
I really love this series.  Written by three authors: Laurie Roma, Kali Argent & Susan Hayes it is set way in the future when inter-planetary travel is a common occurrence.  After a vicious war with some bug-like creatures that infected the population of earth leaving many women barren it was decreed that only pairs of 'Elite' warriors were able to mate with the uninfected women.  Yeah right!!!  Like women are going to let that happen.  Well OK, some do ... and really, only humans???? There are so many other amazing beings out there in our Galaxies!!!
These books don't need to be read in order, however there is a lot of interconnections between the stories so if flows better if you do.

Anita Blake Bk25 The Crimson Death** / Laurell K. Hamilton [eBook]

5 Stars

Adult. Paranormal. 

Yay. Yay. Yay. Yay. Yay!!!!  Anita Blake fan - if you hadn't guessed :-P

For those of you who know the Anita Blake series this is more like her earlier works (as in there is not so much sex and no BDSM).  There is not so much fighting action in it either :-(    I love the combination of kick-arse female with her love triangles (yes triangles!!!) and the bad guys who aren't really bad guys.  Just because somebody looks like a monster, doesn't make them one.  

Anita's friend and fellow executioner Edward calls her from Ireland with a vampire problem.  Part of the problem is that there are supposedly no vampires in Ireland.  Meanwhile Damien, part of Anita's own triumvirate of power, has been having daymares and the most horrendous blood-sweats while he should be obliviously asleep with all the other vampires.  What's a monster hunter to do but head over to Ireland and help her friend out!  But of course things are not as they seem ... like, Duh!!!

A really good read.  I'm going to have to do a 'binge fest' over the summer holidays and re-read the series from scratch (something I may have done once or twice since I got hooked ;-P)  

Circe's Recruits series** / Marie Harte [eBook]
3 stars
Adult.  Paranormal. Romance. Erotica.  LGBT.
Rather steaming hot reads, with lots of multiple partner participation :-o 

Some pure escapism of the naughty variety to spice up your reading.  

Circe's Recruits are military men that have been genetically experimented on and now turn into beast-like creatures (with a very high sex drive!!!).  Only a handful of men survived and they are determined to take down the mad scientist that created them. 

There is actually quite a good story-line to these books, and there is a cross-over to the next series 'Dawn Endeavor'.

Yup I read all of them, in both series ... So shoot me ... actually, don't!!!  I'm sure there are a number of you out there who read things in a similar vein but just don't like it to be known. Sometimes it's nice to escape our reality. Actually the hardest thing I've found writing this blog is 'putting out there' what I read. Yes I love talking about books, but I'm a private reader and don't really like all and sundry to know my reading preferences.  I may come across to those who know me as confident and 'out there', but in reality I'm not - it's something I've had to make myself do.  'Book friends' like other friends don't need to know everything about you :-/   Sometimes I've really had to think twice about what I'm putting in this blog, but then I put my 'big girl panties' on and just do it :-P

Bk1 Roane
Bk2 Zack & Ace
Bk3 Derrick
Bk4 Hale
Bk5 Gideon

Dawn Endeavor series** / Marie Harte [eBook]
3 stars
Adult.  Paranormal. Romance. Erotica.  LGBT.

This is a follow up series with a bunch of psychic SEALs that have been through the same genetic experimentation as the 'Circe's Recruits' men.  More bad guys, more romantic entanglements and lots more steaming hot sex!

Bk1 Fallon's Flame
Bk2 Hayashi's Hero
Bk3 Julian's Jeopardy
Bk4 Gunnar's Game
Bk5 Grayson's Gamble 

Dark Side of the Moon** / Catherine Vale [eBook]

3 stars

Adult. Paranormal. Sci-Fantasy

A bit of a different twist on the paranormal genre with Were-Bears from an alien planet.  

Delroi Prophecy series** / Loribelle Hunt [eBook]

3 stars

Adult. Sci-Fantasy. 

This is the second series in Hunt's Delroi romance collection.  Predominantly set on the planet Delroi the first three books follow the rescue of Kareena, Parker & Zola from a Tel prison on Earth and their new mates.  The final book was my favourite and gets 4 stars from me. It is the story of Zola's mother and brings a nice change for those of us that are an older audience (not in our 20's any more :-/).   

I particularly like how each book builds on the last with parts of each crossing over and being recalled from the other characters perspectives. 

Bk1 Freedom

Bk2 Irresistable

Bk3 Redemption

Bk4 Absolution

Empire of Storms Bk1 Hope and Red / Jon Skovron [Paperback]
5 stars
Adult.  Fantasy.

I started this in July, but it has taken me sooooo long to read ... actually until October 4th!!!!  Aaarrgghhh!!!!!!!  It is a really fantastic book, don't get me wrong or be confused with how long it has taken me to read it.  It is really soooooo frustrating.  In a word .... don't go getting old and needing to wear glasses!!!!!!  I find that I really struggle to read a physical book in the evenings.  My eyes just don't focus on the gorgeous written words enclosed in fantastic tactile beautiful book covers.  So, I end up reading more eBooks than are good for me ... nah that's a lie ... no book is bad for me ;-D  It's just that eBooks can have the font changed, the background changed, and I can read them with the lights out.  Hence amazing, fantastic, stunning, awesome physical books take me a while to read :-(  It has absolutely nothing to do with the storyline or content of them.  Roll on Daylight Savings :-)

OK so the book review .... O.M.Freaking.God!!! It is fantastic!!!  I've just got to the end of it (school holidays are #Awesome) and I just want to re-read it in one continuous session to get the most out of it.  Oh and of course start the next one!!!

Hope (Bleak Hope) is a sole survivor from a Biomancer attack on her island.  She is raised (begrudgingly) by a sect of monk-like warriors vowing vengeance on those that murdered her family.

Red, an orphan boy taken in and cared for by the  slum criminal Sadie, grows up learning all the important things to become a brilliant con artist and thief.

Both are trying to take down the corrupt empire in their own way and their paths eventually cross.

Filled with murder, piracy, cunning, adventure, friendship, family, really strong characters and a fantastic storyline this is a really really really awesome fantasy read!

Hexworld Bk1 Hexbreaker** / Jordan L. Hawke / Narrated by Tristan James [Audio Book]

5 stars

Adult. Paranormal. LGBT. 

OK I'm just going to say it...... Mmmm Mmmm Mmmm Mmmm Mmmmmmmm Tristan James is just a dream to listen to.

I thought I might have been 'weirded out' listening to a male narrate a romance book, even though the main characters are male.  But oh no!!!  If you have never experienced an audio book, and you don't mind your romance books being of the LGBT genre, then you have seriously got to try this audio book.

The story line is fantastic - witches, familiars, good guys, bad guys - and the character development is really well done.  The romance aspect is more romance than sex (yes there are sex scenes of course).

I was absolutely gutted when I finished it and found out that book 2 in the series isn't available on audio book (yet!!!).  But on a positive note ... there are heaps of Jordan L Hawke's books in audio format.

The Rylee Adamson Epilogues Bk1 Riley / Shannon Mayer [eBook]

5 stars

Adult. Paranormal

Such a fantastic read. This is the continuation of Rylee's story AFTER the culmination of the first series. You really do need to have read the rest of the books before this one as it just makes so much more sense, and there are so many references to things that happened previously. 

This book is Rylee's journey in 'finding herself' now that she is no longer the Tracker she was. If I say any more I'm going to ruin it for those who have not read the series yet!!!

The Rylee Adamson Epilogues Bk2 Liam / Shannon Mayer [eBook]

5 Stars

Adult. Paranormal. 

Continuing the Epilogues series.  This time it is Liam's journey and his attempt to help save the triplets.  Woops!!  Spoiler!!

Vanguard Elite Bk1 Bootcamp of Misfit Wolves** / Annie Nicholas [eBook]

4 stars

Adult. Paranormal. 

This is a great take on the shifter / vampire genre. In turns humorous and intense.  A bunch of rag-tag miss-fit wolves have been dropped of to a werewolf Bootcamp run by a bad-ass vampire, and survival and working together is something they have to learn pretty darned quickly.  A good story line, and light on the romance aspect makes this an enjoyable and quick read. 

I got this as a free eBook from instaFreebie.com

Book Babble - June 2016

Hello and welcome to my June 'Book Babble' :-)

I can't believe we are already a quarter of the way through the year!!!!!!  Where is it going???  (Doh!!!  I meant that we are already half way through the year.  That's even scarier as it is just flying by!)

I had a Personal Growth / Development experience earlier this month.  I was asked to present at ReaLM and talk about SLANZA and Personal Learning Networks.   "Yeah. Sure. That will be cool" *looking around in shock* WTF!  Who said that???  Oh crap, that was me!!!!!  Aaarrggghhh!!!!!

For those of you who know me you may well think "easy ... she is outgoing and confident.  She's worked in school libraries for 13 years and is the Chairperson for SLANZA Central so she knows what she's talking about".  Get me talking in a casual or small group setting and, yep, I am enthusiastic, (I think) knowledgable, and definitely 'out there'.  I am extremely passionate about books and reading and promoting this to anyone who will listen gets the full 'excitement mode' experience. 

In actuality,  I am not good at 'putting myself out there' and always feel that I am not nearly knowledgeable enough that others want to listen to me present.  This was my first time presenting to a larger crowd and boy was I nervous!    Forget about butterflies in my stomach ... there was a freaking flock of giant Condors in there having a party.  I honestly thought I was going to throw up!!!   And they put me at the end of the day.  What???????  I've done a couple of workshops with our local PD days, and a couple of small presentations at school which were nerve-racking enough.  Oh yeah ... I can't even stand up at morning tea to talk to the staff without having my hands shaking like a leaf, and don't even ask me to eat anyone before I talk to them!  

Leading up to the event I found procrastination was a fine tool.  First I didn't know if I was going to be in a new job, so I couldn't very well ask a new employer for time off immediately.  Then I hadn't actually asked my principal if I could have a day's leave to present, so I couldn't start the presentation if I wasn't going to be there ... right!  Eventually it came down to the last two weeks.  Many of you probably already know how hard it is to write a presentation.  Ya know ... blank paper ... blank mind ... time issues!!!  Aaaarrrrggghhh!!!!  

I knew I didn't just want to talk, I wanted something visual to show.  And yes I do know about what I was going to present, but making sure I remembered everything I wanted to get across ... that is a different story.   Luckily a colleague who is on our local SLANZA Central committee let me use one of her PowerPoint presentations as a template.  Thanks SE ... you are a life-saver :-)  Actually having screens with boxes etc to fill in, ya know ... a visual mind map ... is a great starting point to deciding on just what and when to say things.  From there things flowed really well.  Though of course it was down to the wire for getting it finalised for the day before - Doh!!! 

Luckily I have a good friend (whom I would never have met if it was not for SLANZA) who put me up in Palmerston North the night before ... travelling from Napier at 5am on a foggy winters morning for an 8am kick-off was not going to be a good start to the day.  It also meant I got to have a great catch-up and only 1 bottle of wine was consumed - well on the first night anyway ;-D  Another great procrastination tool for not thinking about the day to come, and a chance to clear my head and get some tips-and-hints from someone who has done a few presentations herself.  Thanks so much MT.  You are my hero :-D 

The actual day of the ReaLM : Libraries, Literacy & You seminar was terrible and tremendous!  I got to meet all the other wonderful presenters - rubbing shoulders with authors, book award judges and teachers.  And the chance to catch up with fellow librarians and meet other school and public library staff is always a fantastic way of building your PLNs.   I've got to admit that I missed most of Bob Docherty's book talk as I was in the foyer re-practicing my presentation (and trying not to throw up).  Luckily I had seen him at our Conference in Christchurch last year, so even though the books he talked about were different, his style of presenting was very similar.  

So presentation time.  Deep breaths.  Small sips of water.  Smile.  Try to stop shaking.  Look up.  And off we go!!!  
Apart from the silly slides not changing on the first click each time, the presentation went really well (or so I am lead to believe!).  I even managed to ad-lib a few bits, personalising it as I went along.  And on a positive note ... SLANZA Central got three new members from the day.  WooHoo!!!  And on a personal note ... I felt really really really proud of myself for having achieved something which scared me silly.

Lessons learnt:
* I can do presentations - just make sure the slides change on the click!!!!
* Other people do want to hear what I have to say ... well, sometimes ;-)
* Start the darned presentations ASAP
* Stop procrastinating 
* Put my big-girl panties on and just do it!!!      

Goals:
* Present at our next SLANZA Conference

And in other news this month ... 

• HBPubrarians is up to its 5th catch-up for 2016, back at Vidal's in Hastings - a time for a casual chat among librarians from all walks of life.  Funnily enough many of us that attend this event also attend the BookTalk and local Network meetings.  Oh well, good friends and great conversations are never to be missed :-D

• Hawkes Bay Book Talk had its second gathering for the year, hosted by Bev at Lindisfarne College.  This is such an awesome library. Actually that is one of the cool things about our BookTalks ... we get to 'check out' a variety of amazing venues, many of which ARE libraries :-)  This is a book club for librarians (not just school librarians) where we can promote the amazing, fantastic, awesome books that pass through our reading piles.   See our blog for reviews, suggestions and dates for our 2016 gatherings.  It will be updated soon with last weeks catch-up.

So here is WIBR this month ...

NOTE: ** Denotes sexual content (school librarians use your discretion)

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Fuzzy Doodle / Melinda Szymanik & Donovan Bixley [Paperback]

4 stars

Picture Book 0-6

Donovan Bixley is IMHO the most fan-tabulous illustrator around!  I may be a bit biased because he is a Kiwi, but actually ... Nah!  He's just freaking awesome.  AND he is an author as well.  Bloody brilliant!!! 

Fuzzy Doodle is kind of a twist on The Very Hungry Caterpillar, and as you will see from my Picture Book pics this month I really truly love adaptations and twists on the original classics.  

I love how Melinda Szymanik has taken this classic story and reinvented it with the help of Donovan's artwork into a beautiful book about the creation (both literacy & artistic creativity) that is found in a book.

Fuzzy starts off as a blob of ink, and slowly squiggles his way across the pages sucking up blobs of ink, words, and whole sentences before moving on to splashes of colour and artwork.  We watch as Fuzzy turns from a blotch to a small squiggle, slowly growing and turning into a long caterpillar-like creature. The ink splotches on the page are so shiny they look as if they are still puddles of wet ink ... I was almost too scared to touch them for fear I'd get stained fingers.  

What a gorgeously imaginative book from a fantastic duo.  
Book lovers will just love Fuzzy Doodle.   

The Cow Tripped Over the Moon / Tony Wilson & Laura Wood [Paperback]

4 stars

Picture Book 0-6

Any book that is a play on our traditional fairy tales and nursery rhymes is going to be a must-have for our primary school library ... and this one does not disappoint!  

A lively re-telling about what really happened in the lead-up to the cow jumping over the moon. 

The illustrations are just stunning and are a perfect accompaniment to the rhyming text. 

Told like a space-ship launch ... Moon attempt 1: 9.17pm. It is an hilarious romp through the training that takes place for any sporting endeavor - well kind of ;-)

A great read-aloud. The older students and adults will 'get' the humour of the background meaning while younger kids will just laugh themselves silly at the escapades of the characters ... Especially the little dog who laughs till he barfs!!!

Why Did the Chicken Cross the Road / Jim Dewar & Simon Williams [Paperback]

4 stars

Picture Book 0-6

And another of my must-haves - a twist on the classic joke 'Why did the chicken cross the road?'

This great Aussie yarn is a re-telling of just why the chicken really did cross the road.  And of course you can just imagine what all little brothers will attempt! 

The bright illustrations by Simon Williams are a perfect match for Jim Dewar's rhyming text.  The looks on the characters faces are just fantastic.

A great read-aloud.

Top 10 For Kids : Deadly Animals / Paul Terry [Paperback]

4 stars
Children 7-12+. Non-fiction.     
A book filled with all sorts of amazing animal facts.  Each two-page spread has a different category with a top-10 chart and associated figures.  Simple blocks of information will make this a joy for anyone (particularly boys) who love fact & figures.  I can just see a group of boys clustered around this ooh'ing and ahh'ing, and getting very vocal!

Students are guided through each page by the Team T-10 - a group of 7-10 year old kids. 

Wolf by Wolf Bk1 / Ryan Graudin [Paperback]

5 stars

YA. War.  Dystopia.  Historical Fiction. 

Ooh it's a series. Goodie!!! ... 

OK.  Wow!  Just ... Wow!  This was a fantastic, mind altering, amazing alternative-history read.  Absolutely bloody riveting!!!

Yael has been forged in a Nazi concentration camp and re-made by chemical experimentation. Now she wears the face of whoever she needs. The resistance's plan is for Yael to take the place of Adele Wolf, former victor of the Axis Tour, and take part in the motorcycle race.  Oh, and win it, not just survive.  Her goal ... To dance with Hitler ... and kill him!

I really enjoyed the 'flash backs' which gave meaning to her wolves, and showed her character growth.  

This was a pain to read ..... simply because my 16yr old son had issued it to read for English so I had to wait till he either didn't take it to school or remembered to give it back to me.  Multi-coloured book marks are a wonderful thing, especially when you are playing leap-frog reading ;-)  And bloody amazing Secondary School librarians who have two copies and issue them both the said son are an absolute god-send.  You rock SE! :-D

Enemy Camp / David Hill [Paperback]

4 stars 

Ya. Historical. War. New Zealand Author. 

Told in a diary format this is the story about a young 13 year old boy from Fielding, in the North Island of New Zealand.  

It is set during the end of 1942 and the start of 1943 during WWII when an old army base had been turned into a POW camp. 

Told in a daily first person recount by Ewen, whose father is a guard at the prison, it describes the daily life of the township, the trials & tribulations as well as the joy that can be found in hard times.  It also shows us the effects of war as seen through the eyes of a young teenager rather than an adult, as well as the effects of the Polio epidemic.

It includes a brief historical note and a glossary of terms at the end of the story.

This was an easy read and I would be happy giving it to our year 5 & 6 students in upper primary.  It would make a great read-aloud. 

The Colbana Files series / Shiloh Walker & J.C. Daniels [eBook]

4 stars overall

Adult. Paranormal. 

Bk0.5 A Stroke of Dumb Luck / Shiloh Walker

Bk0.6 Bladed Magic

Bk1 Blade Song

Bk2 Night Blade

Bk3 Broken Blade

Bk4 Edged Blade

Bk5 Shadowed Blade

The first two prequels are a really good introduction to the Colbana Files series. A very short read. 

This is a really good paranormal series, with monsters of all kinds popping up. In a world where the Non Human population 'came out' many many years ago, causing one of the great wars, there is still unrest between the human and non-human population. ......

The only problem I have with it is that the proof-reading is atrocious - particularly in Bk5. The spelling and grammatical errors are so numerous that it makes it difficult to enjoy the story. 

In saying that however, the premise of the series is really good, and I really want to find out what happens in Kit's world and if she, Justin and Damon manage to take down the rest of the bad guys. 

Out For You series** / Various authors [eBook]

3 stars overall

Adult. Paranormal. Romance. LGBT.

Bk1 The Changing Years / Amber Kell

Bk5 To Overthrow Evil / Sam Crescent

Bk8 Gemstone / Anastasia Vitsky

Bk10 Stretching The Rules / B.A. Tortuga

This series is at heart a collection of romantic short stories. They just also happen to be about same-sex relationships ... oh yeah, and a few of them are about shifters.  The couples are going through many of the same hardships that we all go through when we are trying to figure out if this is the one for us. 

They remind me of the Mills & Boon / Silhouette style of writing - quite an easy read.  It is really great to read about relationships between anyone and is a great way of escaping the realities of our hectic schedules. Love is universal and we should take joy in the fact that someone has been lucky enough to find a relationship that makes them happy. 

Of course even in our modern understanding world we still have issues with others having relationships with someone different - be they same-sex, different religions or different colours.  We just need to get over ourselves and be happy for them!!!!!  Oops, sorry about the rant!!!!

The Blood in the Beginning / Kim Falconer [eBook]

5 stars

Adult. Paranormal. Crime. Dystopian. 

What a fantastic new series!!!!  (At least I think it is a series?!?!)  Kick-arse heroine trying to figure out just what and who she is while trying to evade a psychopathic copy-cat killer. 

This is a paranormal read, but not with your well-known common vampires. Oh no!!!  Welcome to the world of the Mar (Mermaids for those of you not in the know).  Stunning, scary, violent people from the sea!

It is action-packed and quite realistic although it takes place in a Los Angeles that has been partially reclaimed by the ocean after a massive quake.  Lots of blood (Ava trains in MMA), but no sex. 

Fan-bloody-tastic!!!!  The only problem is .... the next book isn't out yet - Nooooooo!!!!!!!!

Well worth the read. 

Book Babble - May 2016

Hello and welcome to my May 'Book Babble' :-)

I can't believe we are already a quarter of the way through the year!!!!!!  Where is it going???

I love working with kids ... especially when I can dress up.  The teachers are getting used to me 6+ years down the track, and the kids absolutely love the craziness of it all.  Book week is awesome as I have 5 days of fun and fashion to play with.  Of course it gets a bit awkward when I have to go into town for something ... usually happens at least twice!  Meh!  Chin up and 'strut your stuff' I say ;-D 

May the 4th (Star Wars day) was so much fun.  I only found out about this AMAZING day last year when my sons wished me "May the forth be with you".  I thought they were lisping and had nooooo idea what they were on about.  Hello!!!! ... I must have been hiding under a rock!!!

Of course this year when I decided to dress up for the day they thought I was weird.  I offered to drop them off at NBHS but they weren't keen for some reason :-o   And do you know how hard it was to find a red light-saber?????  Green would have just looked so wrong ... besides it made the most silly 'crashing glass' sound.  And FYI ... glasses and masks just don't work!

AnyHoo in other news this month ... 

• HBPubrarians has had it's fourth catch-up, back in Napier, at The Emporium.  It's so awesome to be able to catch up with fellow librarians across the different sectors and chat about all sorts of things.  Great to meet some new faces - welcome to the Hawkes Bay Ngaio Blackwood, and congratulations on your new role as Flaxmere's C&YA Librarian Sas  :-)

So here is WIBR this month ....... 

NOTE: ** Denotes sexual content (school librarians use your discretion)

-------------

Allis the Little Tractor / Sophie Siers & Helen Kerridge [Paperback]

4 stars

Picture Book 0-6.  New Zealand Author.

This is a gorgeous story about a little old tractor that has been left to rust in the paddock.  She watches the shiny new tractor and longs to be useful again.  And when a young boy and his uncle take her in hand she finds out that dreams can come true.  

It is a heart-warming story about having someone believe in you, and that even though you are old (& not so pretty any more) you can still be useful.

The illustrations by Helen Kerridge are just as beautiful.  They really add to the feeling of the story.

Ivan The Remarkable True Story of the Shopping Mall Gorilla / Katherine Applegate & G. Brian Karas [Hardback]

5 stars
Picture Book 0-6 / 7-12yrs.  Non-Fiction Narrative.

This is a simple retelling of Ivan, the Shopping Mall Gorilla.  It has been told in such a way that young children can understand about his life from being captured as a baby, his life in the shopping mall to attract customers, and later his home at Zoo Atlanta.

There are photos of Ivan in the back and further information about the life of this amazing gorilla who passed away at the age of 50 in 2012.

Take Away the A / Michael Escoffier & Kris Di Giacomo [Paperback]

5 stars

Picture Book 0-6 / 7-12yrs.

This alphabet book is just totally freaking AMAZING!

It's not just an alphabet book.  It also shows children that by taking away just one letter they can make a completely new word. 

The illustrations in this book are, IMHO, what makes the book!  Yes the alphabet sentences are really good, but without the illustrations it would just be a 'word play' book.  Many of the images are of nursery rhymes you will be familiar with.  

Kris Di Giacomo's illustrations are not bright, bold and in-you-face.  They are muted, antiqued, and subtle.  They also show just how colourful muted illustrations can really be.  You just have to check it out for yourselves to see the #Awesomeness that can be achieved.

This would make a great lead-in to getting students to write their own alphabet book.  You could theme it quite easily to whatever topic you are studying at school.

Teacup / Rebecca Young & Matt Ottley [Hardback]
5 stars
Picture Book 0-6 / 7-12yrs.

This is just THE MOST stunning picture book.  The illustrations are so amazing and mood provoking.  Some of them look like you could just reach out and touch the wet oil painting that has just been finished.

There is not much text in the story, but what there is is poignant and beautifully descriptive.

It tells the story of a young refugee boy who has to leave home.  The only things he carries in his pack are a book, a bottle and a blanket.  He also has a teacup with soil from where he used to play.  The simple story tells of the hardships he endures in his search for a new homeland.

Just remembering the story gives me chills.  Both the language used and the illustrations are simply beautiful.

The Numberlys / William Joyce & Christina Ellis [Hardback]

4 stars

Picture Book 0-6 / 7-12yrs

Another alphabet book that I fell in love with this month.  Once again, IMHO, the illustrations really make this book.  And the fact that you actually read it 'portrait' not 'landscape' (with a few twists and turns) like you may think when you look at the cover makes it a really fun read.

The Numberlys live in a dull, boring, orderly world full of numbers.  There are no words for anything.  Even food, well gloop really, is called a number.  There is no such thing as an alphabet.  Until 5 friends decide they need something different. 

So they embark on a quest to change things.  Using what they have - numbers - they start mixing and matching, chopping and changing, until they come up with something truly wondrous!

You may be familiar with another wonderful book by this pair ... The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore.


Underland / Chandra Hahn [eBook]

5 stars

YA.  Paranormal. Dystopian. 

Wow!  Awesome awesome read. 

The Gods & all the monsters live underground, having been forgotten by man. To keep their lives interesting they hold epic fight-to-the-death competitions in a mix of Olympic and Greek games.  Did I mention they were to the death!!!!! 

Lira is kidnapped from her shelter and taken down-under, where humans are thought of as food.  But she is more than the monsters expected. 

Noooooo. Please tell me it's a series. It has such a cliffhanger ending it can't be anything but. BUT it's only just been published so I'm going to have to wait for FOREVER before the next installment comes out. Whyyyyyyyyy??????

Coalition Rebellion Bk2.5 The Kingbird / Justine Davis [eBook]

3 stars

Adult. Sci-Fantasy. 

A short story (53 pages) bridging the gap between the original series and the final book in the chapter - Lyon & Shaina's story. 

I am definitely going to dig out my copies (yes I have kept the 1994/1995 original editions - they were my favourite series back than and no way was I getting rid of them) and re-visit their stories before continuing with the final book in the series. 

Coalition Rebellion Bk1 Lord of the Storm / Justine Davis [Paperback - my own original copy 1994]

4 stars

Adult. Sci-Fantasy. Romance. 

Yep! Just as good as I remember it  :-D

I recall that I actually started this series with Bk2 in 1995 and was only able to source Bk1 through Amazon as a second hand copy which, after shipping and the conversion rate, ended costing me over $100 NZD. Remember this was over 20yrs ago so pre-children and I had a decent paying job!  Would I make that same decision now?  Actually, probably Yes - IF I was in the same situation. Of course if I had my children and was working in a not-so-well-paid job then I'd very likely have to say - No!  The biggest drawback would be the cost, not the sourcing of the book. Of course now-a-days I could get it as an eBook so ... Yes I would still buy it  :-D

Looking at my bookshelves I have a number of Justine Davis / Dare's books. I'ma gonna hava ta read them all again - yippee!!!!!

Coalition Rebellion Bk2 The Skypirate** / Justine Davis [Paperback - my own original copy 1995]

5 stars

Adult. Sci-Fantasy. Romance. 

This!!!  This is the book that got me hooked all those years ago on the Sci-Fantasy / Paranormal reading journey I have been on. 

This was the first book in the series that I actually read. It is really well written. Romance. With a really strong storyline. Great character depth & growth. Good vs evil. Strength of character in understanding right from wrong - regardless of what you have been led to believe / taught. The little guys / downtrodden overcoming the might & power of the almighty Coalition / oppressors. 

Coalition Rebellion Bk3 Rebel Prince** / Justine Davis [eBook]

3 stars

Adult. Sci-Fantasy. Romance. 

The final book in the series, published 20 years after the original books. It is a big read. 

The excitement doesn't ramp up till over halfway through.  The story of Lyon & Shaina's trip up the mountain and their changing relationship takes up much of the book, and although not really action packed it's great to get the back-story and understand their relationship. And interspersing their story is that of Rina and the long-thought-dead Tark. 

A great way to finish off the series. 

After I had read this book I jumped over to Goodreads to update my status, and check out other peoples comments (I tend to check these out AFTER I've read as some of them can be quite off-putting and I like to form my own opinion).  Susan made a really good comment regarding how this final book in the series just didn't quite jell with the original two books, and it made me sit back and think about this in relation to many of the other books I have been reading.  Our tastes have changed in the 20 years since this series first came out, readers 'needs' are quite different (especially after romance like 50 Shades of Grey have been so popular) and we ourselves have grown older (& maybe wiser!?!?).  Readers perceptions of what makes a good book, and how far those boundaries can be pushed have certainly changed as well.  Check out Susan's Goodreads review, it is really thought-provoking.

Dragons, Griffons and Centaurs, Oh My! / Margaret Taylor [eBook]

Bk1 To Light the Dragon's Fire
Bk2 To Save the Broken Heart**
Bk3 To Free the Dragon's Soul
To Win the Guarded Heart
3-4 stars

Adult. Paranormal. 

This is a series about Dragons, Griffons, Centaurs and all manner of other mythical creatures set in a hidden land that is accessed through portals, in a futuristic Earth. 

Terra and her twin sister Lani are hiking in the wilderness in a last-escape before Terra's marriage to save her family company.  Whilst investigating a cave they stumble through a portal into a world on the brink of war.  It just so happens that is full of monsters and creatures thought to be myth. 

What a refreshing read. There are no vampires or zombies, just good old-fashioned mythical creatures.  A nice twist on our belief that Unicorns are magical and good - they certainly aren't in this series!  Well they are still magical.  I particularly like the underlying theme of 'not judging a book by its cover' ... just because something looks monsterous and scary doesn't mean it is evil.  Lots of interesting relationships (not just the romantic kind) and the character growth is ever-evolving. There are some good strong female characters - they are not weak-willed and all 'oh save me from the monsters'!  Oh and of course there are the romances - lots of surprising matches :-)

Oh my freaking God!  You have GOT to be kidding me!  I thought this was a four-book series. I've just got to the end and it's 'The End ... For Now'. Aaaaarrrrrggggghhhhh!!!!!  But actually, Yay, 'cause I'm really enjoying the storyline and characters.

The Colour of Tea / Hannah Tunnicliffe [eBook]

3 stars

Adult. Contemporary.  New Zealand Author. 

Tea & macrons, friendships and marriage, letters to long-dead mothers, and the healing process of a young woman who desperately wants children but can't.  Set in Macau.

This read wasn't my 'cup of tea' (yup, purposeful play on words there).  It was verging on 'lit' for me.  Descriptive, well written and great characterisation.  It was a lovely story. (And as you can see from most of my reading material, I don't really do 'lovely' :-o )  

The Tarot Witches Bk1 Caged Wolf** / S.M. Rein [eBook]
3 stars

Adult. Paranormal. 

This is a short'ish story (200 pages).  Mmmmmm Interresting?!?!  Definitely different!!!!

"The Tarot Witches is a dark, sexy paranormal series about a mysterious tarot deck and the havoc it wreaks on the lives of the witches whose paths cross with it."  

Definitely Dark.  Definitely an adult read.

War of the Alphas Bk1 Omega / S.M. Rein [eBook]

3 stars

Adult. Paranormal. 

10 years ago the world changed.  Everyone died.  And those that came back were changed.  Shapeshifters, Vampires, Demons and all manner of other supernatural creatures.  Deidre Tombs was one of those who died and became a shapeshifter - unfortunately she can't change, making her an Omega - the weakest of shapeshifters.  However she also can't be forced to do what the Alpha's say like all other shapeshifters.  And this is what Rylie Gresham is hoping will help her win the Alpha War against Everton Stark. 

This is the first book in a spin-off series to SM Rein's Ascension series featuring Elise Kavanagh and Rylie Gresham.  

It is OK.  It's not as great as the Descent and Ascension series.  I do like how Rein links characters from her other series together giving more depth to her stories.  I don't know if I enjoyed it enough to read the next books in the series (yet)!?!?