Book Review: Etiquette and Espionage by Gail Carriger

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Etiquette and Espionage cover image

Sophronia has no desire to go to finishing school where she imagines she will have to learn to act like a lady instead of running around during the day following her curiosity. But her mother says she must go so she is soon on her way to Mademoiselle Geraldine’s Finishing Academy for Young Ladies of Quality.

It isn’t long before Sophronia discovers that Mademoiselle Geraldine’s is like no other finishing academy she’s heard of. First, she and other students are attacked by flywaymen on the way to the school. Then they are greeted by a werewolf who helps them get on board the school, which consists of several dirigibles tied together and floating above the moors in the English countryside.

In addition to lessons on curtseying and batting her eyelashes, Sophronia also gets lessons on how to poison dinner guests, and creating a discreet diversion to steal a desired object. Never one to follow the rules, Sophronia is soon discovering the places on board where students aren’t allowed to go and getting drawn into the mystery of a missing prototype.

Etiquette and Espionage (Finishing Academy) by Gail Carriger feels like a cross between the magical, inventive worlds of Harry Potter and the Golden Compass. Mechanical maids and butlers cater to the privileged families in society and there are distinct social positions between those who run the ship and those who attend school and teach there.

Sophronia is fascinated by how things work, and there are several mechanical contraptions for her to figure out, including a Dachshund-like “mechanimal” that eats coal to operate, and a filing system on tracks along the ceiling. It’s fun for the reader to discover the curiosities of this world along with Sophronia, who isn’t familiar with much of it because she grew up in the country.

There’s a lighthearted tone to the story, with Sophronia solving mysteries, making friends, getting into and out of trouble and learning new skills that will come in handy I imagine as the series continues. Sophronia and the story of her world are off to a promising start, and I recommend it for readers aged 11 and up.

The publisher provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion in this review.

Guilty Pleasure Food for Book Clubs: Hot Dogs

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If you’re like me, you’re always checking out recipes and looking for great food to serve at your book club meetings. But sometimes, simple is better, both when preparing food and eating it. One way to de-stress is to set out a food bar, with lots of toppings that your readers can choose for themselves. Here’s an idea to go with any book you read that includes sports references or is about sports, as it evokes memories for many of us of cheering from the stands while we indulge in a guilty pleasure.

Hot Dogs

Choose your favorite hot dog from the grocery store. You’d be suprised at the choices, incuding some that are meatless and others that are made with organic meat and uncured. Heat each dog up on the grill for a few minutes or slide it under the broiler in your oven. Serve them on warmed hot dog buns (sesame, plain, wheat, or whatever you can find to your liking) and set out toppings like these standards:

  •  mustard
  • ketchup
  • onions
  • chili
  • pickle relish
  • pickle slices
  • grated cheddar cheese

You may want to mix it up a bit and go for a theme for toppings on your dog;

Hot Dog Tacos

  • Mexican  cheese blend
  • salsa
  • guacomole
  • avocado
  • cabbage
  • lettuce

Greek Hot Dogs served in a pita pouch

  • feta cheese
  • chopped cucumbers
  • yogurt sauce
  • olives
  • lettuce

Have fun experimenting1

 

 

 

Book Review: Rouge by Leigh Talbert Moore

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Hale loves to sing and perform in the theater in New Orleans where she grew up, but the time is coming for her to leave. She understands how the other women earn their keep by taking gentlemen into the back rooms after the shows. Even though she’s a star, and Gavin, the owner, promised her mother he’d look after her, Hale knows she can’t go on this way forever. And she’s got Teeny to think of. Teeny who’s still a child but will soon be a woman. And since Teeny can’t act or sing, there’s no way for her to earn her keep.

Yet the options for women are limited in the New Orleans of the late 1800s. Hale believes the only way she can find stability is to marry a rich man, Freddie, who claims to adore her. Hale knows she should encourage his affection, but she’s not sure she wants to when her heart longs for another.

Rouge by Leigh Talbert Moore paints a picture of the on-the-edge life many girls and women faced in the 19th Century when they didn’t have family or friends to raise them and help them to marry. Hale can’t go out to find work on her own, and she can’t seek a place to live without an income. Her position is even more precarious because in most cases true gentlemen would reject a performer.

Hale has conditioned herself to believe she won’t find happiness when she moves on to a better situation, but once she falls in love she begins to hope she can find a way to leave and be happy too. There are scenes of sexual violence, but it should be fine for older teens aged 16 and up.

I enjoyed reading about life in New Orleans and in the theater during this time period. While the story line is similar to the one in the movie Moulin Rouge, the characters and their motivations are somewhat different. I particularly liked Roland as Hale’s friend and the mystery of Hale’s parents. While I would have been happier if the book had moved along at a faster clip, I look forward to picking up Hale’s story again in the sequel.

The author provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Book Review: St. Viper’s School for Super Villains by Kim Donovan

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St. Viper's School for Super Villains cover image

Demon Kid has a lot to live up to. His dad, Demon King, is a well known super bad super villain, and Demon Kid would like nothing better than to follow in his footsteps. So he’s excited to be headed off to his first year at St. Vipers School for Super Villains, where he not only hopes to harnass his powers but also to meet other kids like him

He’s happy to make other friends right away, including a girl who can stretch her body over long distances, a boy who can shrink himself to the size of an insect and a wolf boy. Their talents help complement his ability to throw fire. But the talents of Demon and his friends are no match for the seniors at the school, who start to pick on the younger students right away. It’s only when Demon gets a chance to “out bad the baddies” that he begins to think he may make his dad proud.

St. Viper’s School for Super Villains: The Riotous Rocket Ship Robbery is the first title in a new series by Kim Donovan that should appeal to young readers with an interest in adventure. St. Viper’s is like the evil twin of a Hogwart’s-type school, where kids with superpowers who want to use them for evil purposes train and get better at what they do.

St. Viper’s turns the concept of good guys and bad guys on its head, as all the students are supposed to be “bad guys,” yet in many ways these kids are just like any others: they want to do well in school, they want to make their parents proud, and they want to show up the bullies who make their lives miserable. It just so happens those things mean something else in this school than it would in others. St. Viper’s is fun to read and I recommend it for readers who enjoy the Captain Underpants series and other adventure books for ages 8 to 12.

The author provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion in this review.

Book Review: What Happens Next by Colleen Clayton

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What Happens Next cover image

Sid feels like a freak among her fellow high school students. She’s tall, she has red hair that refuses to be tamed, and she’s got a large bust and a bubble butt that bring her attention she doesn’t want. So when she meets a guy who seems really into her as a person while on a school ski trip, she ignores her usual good sense and sneaks out to a party he’s invited her to. Turns out Sid’s the only one there, and when she wakes up the next morning in the guy’s bed, she can’t remember what happened the night before.

Afraid to tell anyway that she thinks she was raped, Sid blames herself. To push past the pain, she decides to lose weight and get rid of the parts of her that stick out. But she finds out that exercising to the extreme, and bingeing and then purging on food won’t help her forget what happened that night.

What Happens Next by Colleen Clayton is a painful look at how teens can blame themselves for bad things that happen in their lives and the negative consequences that blame brings. Sid’s been teased about her looks for years, so she was particularly vulnerable to a sexual predator who showed her positive attention.

Also, like a lot of girls she doesn’t want to cause trouble for her friends or her mom, so she doesn’t speak up about what happened to her. Instead she withdraws into her own world where she believes she has control. She knows the bingeing and purging is bad for her, but she feels powerless to stop it. It’s not until she learns to trust a boy in her school who is also an outcast and experiences a normal relationship that she begins to slowly build up to where she can trust again.

Mother-daughter book clubs with girls aged 14 and up will find a lot to discuss in What Happens Next. They can talk about how girls can keep themselves safe when going to parties or meeting new people that they don’t know anything about. They can talk about the concerns that keep girls from telling others when bad things happen to them and how those concerns may be addressed. They can also talk about how parents may be able to help when they notice something is different about their teens. I highly recommend it.

The publisher provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion in this review.

 

Homemade Hummus Easy Book Club Appetizer

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Hummus is a crowd pleaser that’s easy to serve at book club meetings. Light and tasty, you can also make it gluten-free by serving it with rice crackers instead of pita bread or pita chips. Hummus is easy to find in grocery stores, but it’s so simple to make on your own that you may want to wow your book club members by serving up a dish you have whipped up yourself. Here’s what you’ll need to make about 3 cups, which should serve  eight to 10 people as an appetizer:

  • 1 to 2 cloves of garlic, coarsely chopped (optional as some people can’t tolerate garlic well)
  • 2 15-oz. can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1/3 cup lemon juice (freshly squeezed or bottled is fine)
  • 2/3 cup roasted tahini (sesame seed paste found in many grocery stores in the ethnic food aisle)
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt (or more to taste)
  • dash of black pepper (to taste)
  • roasted pine nuts and fresh parsley for garnish (optional)

Place all ingredients up through olive oil into a blender or food processor. Whir until well blended. Transfer hummus to a serving bowl and stir in 1/2 teaspoon salt and dash of pepper. Taste and add more of each if necessary. Garnish with roasted pine nuts and parsley if desired. The entire process, including clean up, should take no more than 15 minutes.

 

Book Club Bookmarks Can Be Treasures to Keep

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Many mother-daughter book clubs I have been in touch with like to do crafts before they sit down to talk about the book they have read. While some change up their crafts for every meeting and match it to something in the book, others make a bookmark each time. Inspired by something in the book they’re are discussing, these bookmarks also act as scattered scrapbooks, reminding members of the titles they have read over the years.

Bookmarks are easy to make. You can start by looking for a template to download or create your own blank bookmarks using card stock or colored paper. Creativity-Portal.com (www.creativity-portal.com) offers several templates for you to download, print and cut out. Just enter “bookmark template” in the search box on the website. If you prefer to make your own template, Creativity Portal provides instructions for that too.

You’ll want to gather everything you need for making the bookmarks before everyone arrives for the meeting. Items you may want to have on hand include glue, scissors, glitter, no. 2 pencils, colored pencils, blank paper, rulers, and stickers. You could even gather images from magazines that the girls can cut out to make a collage. Or you could paint images on paper with watercolor or acrylics.

Once everyone is gathers around at the meeting, you can encourage them to think of something from the book that they especially liked or remember. Then have them draw a rough draft of what they have in mind on  blank paper. Once the rough draft is done, you can spend about 20 minutes or so actually creating those images on the stock that will be the finished bookmark.

If you want to make the bookmarks last even with heavy use through multiple books over the years, you can seal them between two sheets of laminate paper (found in office supply stores). Another idea is to keep them between the pages of the books that inspired them. Then if you pick them up to read again you’ll get a little surprise and some insight into what made an impression on you the first time you read the book.

As with any activity, make sure to keep it fun. Conversations you start while cutting, pasting, painting or putting on other decorations can spill over to book talk that comes up later.

 

Book Review: Cornered: 14 Stories of Bullying and Defiance

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Cornered cover image

Cornered: 14 Stories of Bullying and Defiance looks at bullying from several points of view: through the eyes of the bully, from those who are being bullied, and from others who stand on the side and feel powerless to stop what’s happening. Edited by Rhoda Belleza, the stories are written by both acclaimed and emerging young adult authors. None of them flinch from the hard truths in the stories they have written.

This honesty makes it hard for readers to look away as they read stories about teens who are beaten up by their tormentors or taunted and emotionally abused in front of classmates and in cyberspace. While it’s easy to picture boys as being bullies, girls are often bullies as well. And their victims? They are often the kids who don’t fit into the norm in some way. They are gay or lesbian or accused of being so even if they aren’t. They often are physically small and have no one to confide in about the abuse. Their home lives may be in turmoil. They hope to fly under the radar long enough to make it out of high school and escape their bullies forever.

In recent times there has been much said about bullying, how to raise awareness of it and how to stop it. While programs aimed at reducing it are undoubtedly doing some good, there is little chance that bullying will be eradicated. Books such as Cornered are important bring reality into the equation. It looks at the humanity of those who are victims, and, as hard as it may be to believe there is humanity in those who victimize, it looks at that as well.

Some of the stories are difficult to get through. Others have more of a lighthearted feel where victims triumph. All of them will take your breath away. I recommend Cornered for mother-daughter book clubs and any reader aged 14 and up.

The publisher provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

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