Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin

Not only does Grace Lin write Where the Mountain Meets the Moon, she also provides stunning illustrations to accompany the story. It was part folktale, part fantasy, and an all-around great adventure as Minli set off to meet the Old Man of the Moon.

Minli’s family is poor and the only form of entertainment was the stories she had grown up listening to; her father told her about Magistrate Tiger, the Jade Dragon, and the Fruitless Mountain. Stories about fortune and people changing their luck inspire her to use one of her only copper coins in order to buy a goldfish. Instead of bringing her family good fortune, she feels the weight of her family having another mouth to feed.

When she released the fish into the river, the goldfish tells her the story of the Never-Ending Mountain. She learns of Old Man of the Moon, living at the top of the Never-Ending Mountain, whose red thread weaves together everyone’s fate. Growing up in the shadow of the Fruitless Mountain, Minli finally decides that it is up to her to change the fate of her village and the fortune of her family, and she takes it upon herself to meet the Old Man.

Minli meets many different people and creatures along her journey; a flightless dragon, a Buffalo Boy, and a village in which all of its inhabitants know the true meaning of happiness. While many folktales can appear preachy, Lin employs them with ease to provide background information about the story. She ties everything up neatly with a red thread; the missing line that Minli must use to request an audience with the Old Man of the Moon.

It was an enjoyable and sweet tale about a girl’s discovery of what happiness is and the meaning of friendship. Although it was a juvenile fiction novel, I found myself amazed at the depth of the subject matter and, when I finished, I wanted to read it all over again.

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Comet in Moominland by Tove Jansson

It is easy to think of Tove Jansson’s Moomin books as cozy as they, well, are cozy: the silent winters, the strange summers, the roaring sea, the dense forests, a life lived close to nature, and the snug dwelling of the Moomin family.

The Moomins look somewhat like mighty hippopotamuses, and the family itself (and their home) is as inviting as can be. The family’s approach to life is bohemian, and their abode is constantly visited by creatures who drop in to enjoy Moominmamma’s cooking and the useful items that can be found in her handbag. It is unknown how Moominpappa makes a living but between writing his memoirs and sudden whims, he stays busy.  In short, the Moomin books offer a comfy, domestic bliss that some readers yearn for.

But disaster on a great scale is prevalent in Jansson’s Moomin stories. Just listen to some of the titles of her novels: The Moomins and the Great Flood, Moominsummer Madness, and Comet in Moominland.

Artists of Tove Jansson’s stature have the ability to transcend their historic context, but it is obvious that the Soviet attack on Finland in November 1939 affected the author deeply. She was 25 years old and still living at home when large parts of Europe (and eventually the world) descended into the abyss of war. In her first Moomin novel, a flood threatens the land, and in Comet in Moominland, written during World War II but published in 1946, a red comet may be on its way to destroy the Moomin valley – in fact, the end of the entire world might be near.

The tale has Biblical, apocalyptic elements, and panic is in the air as the creatures of the valley attempt to cope with the events and find sanctuary. The mood is tense and the heat of the comet dries out the sea; the family and their friends flee to a cave where they embrace each other when the comet is close – united they face death.

The Moomin books are considered books for children. The characters are whimsical, complex, and funny, and the humor, adventures, depth and strong narratives of the novels have attracted young readers for decades. However, like so many great children’s books, the Moomin novels can also be read by an older audience.  There is something for almost all ages in these books.

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Best ‘New to Us’ Books in 2012: Lynn W.’s Picks

Today’s blog talks about five audio books I’ve enjoyed during 2012. I listen to fiction and memoirs, and if read by the author, all the better. Each year, I stumble onto a children’s book title and find juvenile fiction altogether as engaging as adult fiction, so one is included here. — Lynn W.

This Time Together: Laughter and Reflection by Carol Burnett
Carol presents a series of short vignettes from her private and performing life. Some feature her grandmother, Nanny, a real character, who loved show business and the contacts she made through Carol and capitalized on them. There are funny stories, like how her adoration of Jimmy Stewart panned out the first time they met on a set when she got her foot stuck in a pail of whitewash and walked out with it still attached, too tongue-tied to say a word. The author reads this collection, adding to the emotional depth and also the comic moments.

The Pioneer Woman: Black Heels to Tractor Wheels – a Love Story by Ree Drummond
If ever there was a mismatch, it was Ree and Marlboro Man. Ree, a native Oklahoman, went to southern California for college and never looked back towards Tulsa except for holidays. Now in her mid-twenties, home is a pit stop on her way to the big time in Chicago. While there she hits a bar with friends and meets Marlboro Man, a tall, strong, real-life cowboy. Their story, read by the author in her authentic and charming Oklahoma voice, is a true love story. We never learn Marlboro Man’s name, but we sure feel the heat develop between them.

The Forgotten Affairs of Youth by Alexander McCall Smith
This eighth Isabel Dalhousie mystery set in Edinburgh, Scotland pleases the ear with soft Scottish accents and descriptions of the gray city and green countryside. Isabel Dalhousie, a philosopher, is approached by a visiting Australian philosopher seeking her biological father’s identity. This is the “mystery.” Isabel and her fiancé Jamie are planning their wedding, all the while watching their beautiful son grow from day to day. This series is a leisurely walk through Scotland’s capital, meeting along the way fascinating people and places and everyday concerns.

The Night Train by Clyde Edgerton
Two teenage boys in 1960s small town North Carolina form a friendship over their love of jazz, a relationship not exactly accepted in this segregated community. Dwayne absolutely loves James Brown’s Live at the Apollo album, while Larry Lime is a pianist wanting to learn Thelonious Monk’s style from a jazz musician called the Bleeder. Their story and shenanigans will entertain while showing music is truly one of the ways humans unite and move beyond their differences. This audio is well-read, giving voice to accents and origins with accuracy.

Everything on a Waffle by Polly Horvath
If your parents disappeared one stormy night and your fishing village neighbors were forced to take you in, how would you feel? Especially if almost everyone is sure your parents were drowned at sea and you are absolutely certain they are merely delayed returning? Primrose Squarp tells her own story; her twelve-year-old point of view of friends (does she have any left?) and neighbors (including Miss Perfidy, who is paid by the town to care for Primrose) is fresh and rings true. Over the months, Primrose rediscovers her uncle, goes into foster care, and begins work on a cookbook while she awaits her parents’ return. This is a delightful mood lifter.

How They Croaked: The Awful Ends of the Awfully Famous by Georgia Bragg

Are you interested in the lives and deaths of major historical figures? Did you used to be a big fan of MAD Magazine? If you answered “yes” to both these questions, then How They Croaked is the book for you.

Each person discussed in the book, from King Tut through Albert Einstein, either died in some horrific way, or their bodies were treated in some horrific way—sometimes both.  For instance, Beethoven had dropsy, a disease that caused his body to become bloated with rotting fluid. Doctors treated it by drilling a hole in his stomach to drain the fluid. They used this hole to drain fluid four times and each time plugged the hole with a piece of cloth afterwards. (There were no stitches back then, no anesthesia, and no pain killers.) Of course, the hole became infected. And that was just the beginning.  After the poor guy finally died, an autopsy was performed and pieces of his skull were stolen. His body has been dug up multiple times over the years in order to try to figure out what killed him. (It was lead poisoning.)

It’s time to point out that How They Croaked was written for young people. Thus, the emphasis on gore and the snarky style of writing. Here’s a sample from the chapter on Edgar Allen Poe:

Poe attended a lot of funerals. When he wasn’t going to funerals, he wrote stories about dead people (or soon-to-be-dead people) living in torture chambers, haunted houses, and other creepy locales with zero chance of escape. His stories start out with lines like “I was sick—sick unto death with that long agony,” and that’s the cheery part. Misery, loneliness, and death are the grim themes of this work … and of his life. Lots of bad stuff happened to him, and then he died.

I have to admit I was highly entertained. I listened to the audio of this book and the narrator, L.J. Ganser, injected even more snark into the narrative.  Maybe this means my sense of humor never matured past the MAD Magazine stage. That’s okay. What, me worry?

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Greatest Hits: A Dog’s Life: the Autobiography of a Stray by Ann M. Martin

This week we’re featuring some of our “greatest hits” – the most popular Book-a-Day blog posts since we started this almost three years ago. Today’s is A Dog’s Life: the Autobiography of a Stray by Ann M. Martin, reviewed by Bob M.

Every now and then I like to take a break from “serious” reading and check out a Juvenile fiction book. I especially enjoy listening to Juvenile Audio books. One that I listened to recently and enjoyed very much was A Dogs Life: the Autobiography of a Stray by Ann M. Martin, who is best known for the Babysitters Club books. I’m a huge dog lover and had to check with a Youth Librarian (Thanks Kathleen!) to make sure the dog did not die in the end, because Marley & Me just about did me in.

A Dog’s Life is about Squirrel who was born a stray along with her brother Bone in a shed by their mother, Stream at a family’s summer house. As Squirrel gets older she befriends the residents in the shed, a cat named Yellow Man as well as all the mice living in the barn. Mother teaches her puppies everything they need to know to survive and instills in them to be leery of humans. But one morning after mother vanishes Bone and Squirrel decide to leave. The shed was the only place Squirrel ever knew, but she would leave if Bone left, he was her brother and was now in charge.

Bone and Squirrel face many challenges on their new adventure, learning about the world very quickly and are soon found on the side of a highway where a couple stop and  take them home. They don’t live there very long. After one bad night, with garbage ransacking, barking and going to the bathroom in the house, the husband takes the two puppies to a parking lot and throws them out. Two women come along and take Bone, and now Squirrel is on her own.

Alone Squirrel faces new challenges, the cold of winter, starving dogs that will kill to eat, roads, and of course humans. One night Squirrel finds a dog, who she says resembles Bone. Her name is Moon. Squirrel is happy to have a companion. They live together for some time, until a speeding car takes Moons life. Squirrel gets a home but only for the summer, her owners adopt a “summer” dog every year but quickly tire of it, forgetting to feed or walk her. So Squirrel heads out on her own again. Squirrel lives on through the cold winters and hot summers, being careful to stay away from humans, till she is an old dog. An old dog with black fur beginning to turn white, a filmy eye, bad hearing in one ear, and very achy bones in the shoulder and leg that were broken when she was young.

Squirrel finally finds a home with an old woman who names her Addie. Together they form a relationship, each needing the other and Squirrel finally finds contentment with a human.

Prepare to shed some tears as you listen to Squirrel’s story. This heart-touching tale really brings to light the serious problem of homeless animals. By giving listeners a firsthand look through a stray’s eyes and heart, A Dog’s Life will inspire all of us to work together to eliminate this desperately tragic way of life that so many animals suffer. Ann M. Martin herself volunteers for an animal rescue, and she has successfully brought her true-life observations onto the pages of this amazing book. A must-read or listen for everyone.

For information about adopting a local stray check out these websites:

Wake County Animal Shelter

S.P.C.A of Wake County

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The Thief Lord by Cornelia Funke

This week we’re featuring some of our favorite Audio Books, just in time for planning your summer road trips. You can also click the Audio Books tag at the bottom of this post or at the top of the tag cloud on the right hand side of our blog’s home page for more great audio book suggestions!

Are you intrigued by the magical city of Venice? Did you love Peter Pan as a child? If so, then the juvenile novel, The Thief Lord by Cornelia Funke, is a book you’re sure to enjoy this summer, either reading the book to yourself on the beach, or listening to the audio in the car with the entire family. The winner of several European Children’s Book Awards, it is a captivating read both for its story and its immersion into the mysterious and beautiful city of Venice which is, in its own way, another character in this story.

The book follows the story of two brothers, Bo and Prosper, who run away to Venice after their mother dies and they are put in the care of their cruel aunt and uncle who only want to keep Bo, the younger boy. In Venice they are befriended by a group of orphans who are supported by an enigmatic young man who calls himself the Thief Lord. The Thief Lord keeps them sheltered in an old movie theatre and fed by stealing goods from the wealthy homes in Venice and selling them to an unscrupulous shopkeeper. The Thief Lord is soon commissioned to steal an unusual article that leads the story into many twists and turns. Finally, it comes to a magical/fantastical climax on the Isola Segreta where a relic is enshrined that will change their lives forever. I first listened to the book driving back and forth to work and then reread it for a children’s book club selection, totally enjoying it both times. All the children and adults I know who have read it have also felt the same way about this exceptional book – an enjoyable escape.

Find and reserve this book in our catalog.

Muppet Sherlock Holmes by Patrick Storck

Since today is the birthday of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, I thought it would be a good time to review a comic book adaptation of his work with this graphic novel by The Muppets. Our Book-a-Day blog has reviewed some of Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes books before and we have also reviewed some Muppets books before — so, much like Reese’s peanut butter cups, here are two great things that go great together. In true Muppet fashion, they have put their own humorous spin on one of Doyle’s most famous lines: “Once you eliminate the rational, whatever remains, no matter how absurd, must be the Muppets.”

This graphic novel collects four of Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes stories with Gonzo the Great as the world’s greatest detective and Fozzie Bear as his loyal companion, Dr. Watson, who narrates the stories. Inspector Lestrade is played by Kermit the Frog, and many of the large cast of Muppet characters also make appearances throughout the stories. The first story is The Speckled Band, a classic locked room mystery, which even contains a 19th century version of the Veterinarian’s Hospital sketch from The Muppet Show. The second story to be re-told by Gonzo and crew is A Scandal in Bohemia featuring Miss Piggy as the intriguing Irene Adler — who was always referred to as the woman by Holmes. And, just as he did in the first season of The Muppet Show, Gonzo (Holmes) falls madly for Miss Piggy (Adler). The third story is The Red-Headed League in which shady goings on lead Holmes, Watson and Lestrade to don red wigs and take up menial clerical jobs with the league to try and deduce why their client, Mr. Wilson, is paid so handsomely for work that keeps him away from his shop during the day. The final tale is The Musgrave Ritual about an old aristocratic family legend which just may turn out to be some sort of treasure map. This version, however, concludes the final story with an abbreviated version of the events which occurred at Reichenbach falls (in the original Doyle story The Final Problem) with Holmes/Gonzo facing down his arch-nemesis Professor Moriarty (played by Uncle Deadly).  The writers did an excellent job of re-telling these tales as faithfully as possible, while also putting the unique “Muppety” spin on them at the same time.

For you more serious Sherlock Holmes fans (who should still totally give this graphic novel a try), you can find many different collections of Doyle’s stories and novels in our catalog.

Find and reserve this book in our catalog.

P.S. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle shares his birthday with my wife, so Happy Birthday my love!

Best ‘New to Us’ Books of 2011: Lynn W.’s Picks

Not surprisingly, my Best New to Me list is a reflection of my Best of the New list.  My leanings toward mysteries, historical and literary fiction, and memoirs are represented here, too.

The Diary of Mattie Spenser by Sandra Dallas
Dallas is a Colorado writer who makes that state come alive in her historical novels.  Mattie Spenser is a young Iowa wife whose new husband, Luke, the town catch, has a passion to head west shortly after their wedding, leaving all they know behind.  After an eventful journey by wagon, Mattie and Luke construct a soddy and he begins breaking ground for planting.  However, Luke soon makes several lengthy trips away and Mattie begins to suspect he is involved with a girl from their Iowa hometown.  How she handles this information, makes friends in need while he is gone, and manages their baby’s birth in his absence make for a very human story, told simply and from the heart.

These Happy Golden Years by Laura Ingalls Wilder
I listened to the audio version of my favorite childhood book.  It was just as richly evocative of prairie life in the 1880s Dakotas as I remembered:  the year round impact of weather on life in town and on the claim, the closeness of family where there are few to rely on, our unchanging human nature with its love of friends and petty jealousies intertwined, no matter how small the society. You CAN go home again, at least in books; I’m glad I revisited These Happy Golden Years.

Traveler by Ron McLarty
A mysterious shooting incident in Jono Riley’s childhood comes back to intrigue him when his old friend Cubby informs him his sister Marie has died suddenly.  She and Jono were making snow angels in a field when she was shot in the arm when they were kids and the shooter was never found. Now, decades later, the bullet, not removed from Marie, has “traveled” and pinched an artery, causing her death.  Jono, an actor who supports himself bar-tending in New York City, returns home to Providence, Rhode Island determined to find the shooter and bring him to justice.  Just as in The Memory of Running, McLarty tells his tale in everyday conversational English, but delivers a punch with his plotting and character development.

The Scent of Rain and Lightning by Nancy Pickard
Jody Linder lives in the house her father was murdered in twenty three years ago, the same evening her mother disappeared.  Small town Kansas is pictured with superb descriptions of the surrounding ranch lands, the hierarchy of society, and Jody’s reactions as she contemplates the thought that perhaps the wrong man was convicted of her father’s murder. The convicted man is released from prison and returns to Rose, Kansas to find the real guilty party.  The twists and turns of the plot and the real guilty party’s reactions to the investigation will keep you on the edge of your seat and Pickard’s prose will simply amaze you, as most readers don’t expect such wonderful writing in a mystery.

My Reading Life by Pat Conroy
Truth be told, this is the only book by Conroy I have read and I found it very engaging.  Conroy’s favorite books can be surprising, Gone with the Wind, for one, but he explains how or from whom the book came to him, what was happening in his life at the time, and the book’s meaning for him.  In his chapter about War and Peace, Conroy’s enthusiasm and appreciation for Tolstoy and his masterpiece are almost enough to entice one into attempting to read it. The final chapter, Why I Write, is full of savory sentences like this one:  “Here is what I want from a book, what I demand, what I pray for when I take up a novel and begin to read the first sentence:  I want everything and nothing less, the full measure of a writer’s heart.”  Enough said.

Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson

Pirates! Treasure! Adventure! All this and more await you as you accompany teenage Jim Hawkins on a journey from his family’s small inn to the famed and titular island. Stevenson’s tale is obviously well known, with many different movie adaptations,  and is generally thought to be a book for boys. Certainly boys (of all ages, even the big ones over 30) will enjoy the swashbuckling sailors and treachery of pirates, but those of the female persuasion are also quite likely to enjoy it. Of course, the romance of Pirates has not diminished in the hundred plus years since the novel’s publication (they are, after all, making another Pirates of the Carribbean movie to the delight of Johnny Depp fans). Beyond the subject matter, Stevenson’s unforgettable characters, especially that of the infamous Long John Silver, are what have made this classic endure.

The story is told from the recollections of the grown up Jim Hawkins, and begins with the arrival of an old sailor, Billy Bones, at his parent’s inn. It becomes clear that Billy is hiding from someone and asks Jim to keep an eye out for a man with a wooden leg. A blind man comes looking for Billy and he receives the dreaded “black spot” (marked for death). After Billy dies Jim and his mother check his sea chest so that Mrs. Hawkins may claim the payment she’s been denied. Jim also spies an oil cloth packet, which turns out to contain a very interesting map. Jim is soon on the run from the blind man and his nasty friends and finds safety with doctor Livesey and Squire Trelawney. These three then organize a trip to follow the map and lay claim to the treasure. They hire a ship – the Hispaniola – and Captain Smollett, who has misgivings about their venture and the fact that the ship’s cook, Silver, has hand picked about half of the crew. Silver is all charm and compliments to everyone on board and is a ready, cheerful and willing part of the crew, at least to start with. As they get closer to the island mutiny becomes his clear intent and by the time they arrive at the island, the crew is divided in two camps with each side fighting the other for the map and treasure.

Much like Tarzan of the Apes this tale of adventure can be read as a light, easy story that doesn’t require much thought. However, if one wishes to examine the story and what books influenced Stevenson’s writing – and, in turn, what Stevenson then influenced – one may find more literary connections than initially suspected. Most editions of Treasure Island include an introduction which discusses this to some extent. In the Penguin version John Seelye explains that earlier works such as Defoe’s Robinson Crusoe, Washington’s Tales of a Traveler and Cooper’s Last of the Mohicans influenced Stevenson’s writing.  Stevenson, in turn, is said to have influenced J.M. Barrie’s Peter Pan, Golding’s Lord of the Flies and almost every pirate story told since.  In fact, this novel is thought to be the first fictionalized appearance of such standard pirate cliches as the parrot on the shoulder, the peg leg, “X marks the spot,” and the now famous song lyric, “Fifteen men on a dead’s man’s chest – Yo, ho, ho, and a bottle of rum!”

Take a trip with Long John Silver on the Hispaniola by requesting this book in our catalog.

Muppet Snow White by Jesse Blaze Snider, et. al.

“It’s time to start the music, it’s time to light the lights! It’s time to get things started on The Muppet Show tonight!”  If you remember that catchy little tune, then you’ll love this new comic book style re-telling of the classic story of Snow White by your favorite Muppets.  Just as they did with other classic tales (the movies A Christmas Carol, & Treasure Island) the Muppets have now put their own hilarious spin on this beloved fairy tale.

Jacob & Wilhem Grimm (Gonzo & Rizzo) narrate the story for us, in which The Queen (Miss Piggy) discovers from her magic mirror (Fozzie Bear) that she is not the fairest of them all.  The woodsman (Sweetums) must take young Snow White (Spamela Hamderson – who is accompanied by her agent, Pepe the King Prawn) into the woods to kill her, but he can’t do it, so she ends up finding a nice little cottage to live in.  That cottage is occupied by the seven dwarfs (not dwarves, as the Muppets are keeping with the original spelling from Brothers Grimm), portrayed by the band Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem.  The band turns out to be one dwarf short, so they hold auditions.  Meanwhile, Prince Charming (Kermit) is about to meet Snow White when he’s captured by Queen Piggy who has somehow gotten ahold of the dragon from Sleeping Beauty.  Kermit is kept prisoner by the Queen – if Piggy can’t have her frog, then no one can – and Snow White eventually falls under the sleeping-in-a-death-like-trance spell, leading to a very long line of potential suitors who are each charged $1 for a kiss and the chance to be the one to break the spell.  Hilarity ensues throughout the story and just about all of your favorite Muppet characters make an appearance!

As with the best books, movies or TV shows for children, there’s plenty of humor for grown ups in here too.  In fact, there are several “in jokes” that only true Muppet fans would get and that will go right over the heads of kids (or almost anyone under 30).  I don’t want to spoil anything here, but suffice it to say that if you don’t know who the “Mahna Mahna” guy is, then you won’t get the joke he’s in. There are several other Muppet versions of classic “tales re-told” (Sherlock Holmes, Robin Hood, & King Arthur) in comic books form, and I hope we’ll see them all in the library one day.  But, for now, after having read this, maybe I’ll watch some of the original Muppet Show via Netflix while I eagerly await the new movie “The Muppets”, written by and starring Jason Segel, coming out this Thanksgiving.

“Why don’t you get things started” by reserving your copy of Muppet Snow White!