The Book Stacks

Hello, and welcome to the second meeting of the Book Stacks Book Club, Cover to Cover. Today we are discussing Mars Needs Moms! by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Berkeley Breathed. This book has been labeled controversial by some for its depiction of Motherhood. Check out the SFGate article and the Salon article for more information about this controversy. In the SF Gate article, Mr. Breathed explains where his inspiration for this book came from: “His inspiration for “Mars Needs Moms!” came from a moment when he was coaching his older child at a softball field, and his younger child, who was then 4, wandered off and got very close to the railroad tracks bordering the playground, and he rushed down to grab him.

In that moment, “I imagined him on the tracks and a train coming, and me running across the tracks and pushing the child off while I got smashed,” he says by phone. “And it occurred to me that for the first time in my life, that scenario would have occurred without thinking. I would have knowingly gone to my death to push my kid out of the way of the train. It’s not really until you’re a parent that that notion suddenly springs to mind.” –(SF Gate, 5/9/07)

A strong emotional response to an event generated this book, which seems to be generating other strong emotional responses. What did you think of the book? As is becoming customary, I would like to begin the discussion with the following question:

1. Did you enjoy the book?

Yes! I thought that this book was well-written, well-illustrated, and most entertaining. Milo was a believable kid and the depiction of his relationship with his mother was portrayed quite realistically. My Mum is very fond of broccoli, too, so I can relate. Though I never tried sister-tinting…

2. What did you think of the author’s depiction of motherhood?

Apparently, I’m not feeling very PC today, because I totally disagree with the nay-sayers on this one. Mr. Breathed has crafted a beautiful story. As you might gather from his quote above, he could just as easily have written a story about fathers. I maintain that most loving parents would have done the same thing as Milo’s Mum…if they weren’t too busy freaking out about finding themselves on Mars, that is.

3. This is a picture book, so what did you think of the art?

I have long been a fan of Berkeley Breathed’s cartoons, so you will likely be unsurprised to discover that I liked the art in this book. It’s colorful, full of motion, and very detailed. Simply put, it is entertaining to look at. And, best of all, (for me anyway) Mars actually looks like Mars in the pictures of the Solar System. (Yes, I have a picture of Mars on my wall.)

4. Did you have a favorite character?

I’m going with Milo. He’s the main character that we experience everything through. He even figures out why the Martians have kidnapped his mum, and agrees with their logic…mostly. I’m glad that he finally learns what makes moms so special.

To Sum Up: I enjoyed this book, and I would recommend it for parents especially. (Yes, Mom. You may borrow my book now.)

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And now, the book which we will be discussing next time is: The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde. I’ve had several folks recommend this book to me, so we’ll give this Sci Fi Mystery a try. We will be discussing The Eyre Affair on June 22, 2007. Won’t you join us?

The Book Stacks, Cover to Cover, Book Club, Mars Needs Moms!, Berkeley Breathed, The Eyre Affair, Jasper Fforde

There are many reasons that people might find writing difficult. Perhaps, like my mother, you just don’t like writing. You may not be feeling inspired. Performance anxiety or perfectionism could be standing in your way. Maybe you’ve been staring at a blank page so long that you are certain that you suffer from writer’s block. My biggest problem with writing has always been getting my thoughts in order. It could be deadlines staring me in the face, or just a really stressful day. That’s all it takes to turn my brain into mush. What do I do when faced with any of these situations? (Yes, except for the disliking writing, I’ve been there.)

• If it’s inspiration you need (or clearing up some of those niggling little errors in your writing style), you could head over to Fiction Scribe. JM will get you on the right track.
• Write Anyway is a great place to go if you’re not even sure where to start. Teri offers some great writing warm-up to get your brain working.
• Go see a film. It’s strange, but sometimes when I find myself unable to figure out “what happens next” seeing any sort of film will get my creativity going again.
• Try a change of scenery. Take your notebook and go to the park, the library, or a coffee shop.
• Go do something else, but take your notebook with you. I’ve gotten more ideas while folding laundry or working in the kitchen.
• Take a shower or bath. Douglas Adams would agree with me on this one. The closer he was to the end of a project, the more baths he took. For me, the shower is like inspiration point. I’m still trying to figure out the best way to record thoughts in there, though (now that I can’t make my little sister sit in there and take notes for me…yes, I was an evil big sister. Sorry, Dani).
• Stop worrying about every little thing! Get it written down, and edit it later when you’re done. I am Queen of “But…that’s passive voice” and “wait, I just started two sentences the same way.” Just write it down and move on. It’s too easy to get bogged down in the details.
• Just can’t face that story you’re working on? Go work on a different one for a while. Sometimes working on another story will give you a new idea for the first one.

The best way to get used to writing is to sit down and do it. I was the worst procrastinator until I got this blogging job. I still find it hard to get my thoughts in order, but I *am* writing something every day. Slowly, it’s becoming easier. So get out there and write something! Be it a blog post, poem, novel, or short story, just get some words on paper. That way, someday I may have something new to read and review.

writing, Fiction Scribe, Write Anyway, Douglas Adams

As I mentioned last week, Tanya Huff’s “Blood” series is being made into a television show. For your edification, the books in this series are Blood Price, Blood Trail, Blood Lines, Blood Pact, Blood Debt, and a collection of short stories. The show itself is called Blood Ties, and it premiered on Lifetime last Sunday at 10pm with a two-hour long episode called Blood Price. The basics from the books were there: Vicki Nelson, former policewoman now Private Investigator who is losing her sight; Henry Fitzroy, bastard son of Henry VIII who is also a vampire; and Mike Celluci, Vicki’s former partner. I was also happy to see that the story still takes place in Toronto. (All you Forever Knight fans may be amused now. There is a new Vampire in TO.) The show itself had its cheesy and predictable moments, but on the whole I quite enjoyed it. The actors did a great job, and I had fun playing “what have I seen you in before?” while I was watching. The first episode was mostly drawn from the first book of the same name. I did notice that Henry is a graphic novelist rather than a romance novelist, but that wasn’t a major change. Obviously, the storyline was greatly simplified overall, but I shall be interested to see how the closely the rest of the series sticks to the books. I will definitely be tuning in next week…and I think that I’ll read book one again. Did anyone else see the show? What did you think?

Tanya Huff, Blood Price, Blood Trail, Blood Lines, Blood Pact, Blood Debt, Blood Ties, Forever Knight

Jamie over at Fiction Scribe was kind enough to point me to an article over at DegreeTutor.com called 33 Reasons Librarians are Still Extremely Important. As a public librarian, I would just like to say…yeah…what they said. Check out the article. It is very well thought out. Thanks, Jamie!

Fiction Scribe, DegreeTutor.com

Are you a fan of “cozy” mysteries? The Seattle Mystery Bookshop defines a Cozy mystery as: “Think Agatha Christie. Think cats. Think culinary. The cozy is a mystery in which a murder, perhaps violent, is committed without bringing significant unpleasantness to the reader, or to the other characters in the story.” A perfect example of this genre, apart from Mrs. Christie herself, is the work of Charlotte MacLeod (a.k.a. Alisa Craig). As I own almost all of her books, you would be correct in assuming that I am a fan. In the first of the Peter Shandy mysteries, Rest You Merry, Professor Shandy returns home from a Christmas holiday to find his best friend’s eternally interfering wife dead in his living room. Good thing that he has an alibi. Too bad that the College President wants him to solve the mystery, and quickly. Ms. MacLeod gave us four series of fantastic mysteries. One of them even features a Mountie (and his wife). Another author that I tend to recommend to folks is Nancy Atherton, author of the Aunt Dimity series. I’ve reviewed two of that series so far on this site, Aunt Dimity’s Death and Aunt Dimity and the Duke. Do you have any cozy mysteries that you tend to recommend to others? I’m in the mood to read something new…and cozy. Anyone?

Seattle Mystery Bookshop, Charlotte MacLeod, Alisa Craig, Peter Shandy, Rest You Merry, Nancy Atherton, Aunt Dimity

The other day, Jamie over at Fiction Scribe posted on the subject of fanfiction, and it got me to thinking about the genre. I have read a great deal of fanfiction in my time. At one point, I even wrote a bit of it. I have some friends who are writers of magnificent fanfiction. (Frankly, I think that they’ve spoiled me with their Stargate SG-1 fics…but I digress.) I have even read fanfiction that became an official tie-in novel (Susan M. Garrett’s Forever Knight tie-in Intimations of Morality. I have both versions.) Lately, I have been reading way too much Doctor Who fanfiction. (No surprises there.) There is such a variety of skill level and topic out there, even within just the one fandom. I have encountered some incredible imagery and several well-plotted adventures. Of course, there are also those stories that make you want to tear your hair out, but after a bit you get a feeling for authors that you like. Then, as with any other genre, you can find similar authors, and go from there. For me, the allure of fanfiction is the chance to see what might have been, or to get into the mind of the character. In case you are interested in reading some fanfiction yourself, Fanfiction.net has a wide variety of topics, and is bound to have something for everyone. What is your opinion of fanfiction? Do you read it?

Fiction Scribe, fanfiction, Susan M. Garrett, Intimations of Morality

Well, I finally have all of my Christmas Presents (I think) and I’ve spent my Border’s Gift Card. So, I thought that I would share my book haul with you. Yes, you are likely to see these on a Tuesday List soon.

Nancy Drew’s Guide to Life by Jennifer Worick is a tiny book featuring a bookmark with a small magnifying glass on its end. It features various pieces of advice from the classic Nancy Drew Series.

The Celtic Heroic Age edited by John T. Koch was on my Christmas list and is a dead giveaway what I want to get a Celtic Studies degree.

The Adventure of English: The Biography of a Language by Melvyn Bragg is the companion volume to the History Channel series.

Doctor Who: Aliens and Enemies by Justin Richards I purchased with my Border’s Gift Card. I bought this one largely because I already had all of the other Doctor Who books there. Also, it looked really cool.

So, there you are. My Christmas books for the year.
Have a Happy New Year!!!!

Tuesday List, Nancy Drew’s Guide to Life, Jennifer Worick, The Celtic Heroic Age, John T. Koch, The Adventure of English: The Biography of a Language, Melvyn Bragg, Doctor Who: Aliens and Enemies, Justin Richards

Well, I’m still up the mountain at my in-laws. So far I have received two books for Christmas. I am told that others are on their way, so I will keep you updated. Did y’all get any books? If so, which ones? Merry Christmas!

books, Christmas

As I’m sure most of you know, my favorite book is Escape to Witch Mountain by Alexander Key. What is your favorite book? (or books) and why?

Escape to Witch Mountain, Alexander Key

Hey! Check it out! The Book Stacks has a new look. I think the new template looks really nice, and I’m glad that I didn’t end up with purple lettering. Purple is my least favorite color. Red, on the other hand, is my second favorite color. (No, my color opinion was not solicited.) Along with these updates, I’m told that I will soon have a blogroll. That should be fun! I hope that my reviews look even better in this new format. Thanks for stopping by!

The Book Stacks, new look

Ronda over on Tiny Treasury has recently done a whole series of posts about different Ramona books by Beverly Cleary. I am particularly fond of Ramona the Pest. (I blame Ramona for my love of “boinging” long curly hair.) Which is your favorite Ramona book? Did you know that Beverly Cleary’s website contains a map of Ramona’s neighborhood? I also found Mrs. Cleary’s 1938 UC Berkely yearbook picture shown here. Not that long ago, Portland, Oregon (home of the real Klickitat Street) honored Mrs. Cleary with the construction of the Beverly Cleary Sculpture Garden which isn’t far away from Klickitat Street itself. By the way, Beverly Cleary was born in 1916 and she is still with us. So, check out Ronda’s reviews and enjoy Mrs. Cleary’s books while she is still around. I wonder what box my Ramona books are in?

Tiny Treasury, Ramona, Beverly Cleary, Ramona the Pest

So, I have been trying to think of a topic to post about that isn’t a book review. Book reviews are nice, but I feel that a little variety is a good thing. I sat here staring at the screen and…nothing came to me. Oh dear, I thought. The dreaded writer’s block has struck me again. I don’t have time for this. I have to take my husband out for his birthday dinner today and I have to work on my other blog. What am I going to do? Then it struck me. Writer’s Block. How do other people deal with it?

Apparently, Douglas Adams once said - “Writing is easy - all you have to do is stare at a blank piece of paper until your forehead bleeds.”
Failing that, the BBC offers a website on the subject of Overcoming Writer’s Block. They offer all sorts of suggestions that range from “Just Write Something” to “Have a Cup of Tea” to “Go Do Something Else First.” eHow.com offers some similar suggestions in their article called: How to Get Rid of Writer’s Block. So, I’m off to get a cup of tea. Hopefully, one of the suggestions will work for you too.

Writer’s Block