Wednesday, April 30, 2014

April Author in the Spotlight Wrap-Up and Giveaway

April Author in the Spotlight Wrap-Up and Giveaway

The giveaway for the Stupid Fast trilogy ends at midnight tonight!!  Hurry and Enter!  Find the link below.

April is officially raining on my parade this month in Minnesota.  It is green and wet here with a forecast of rain all day for seven days.  I am sun deprived and all I want to do is lie in bed and read all day!  So it is a good thing I have some good books to read still from April's Author in the Spotlight, Geoff Herbach.  I hope you found a new YA author to read and love.  Geoff is seriously awesome.


April is now in the history books and over so please join me in saying adieu to April's author in the spotlight, Geoff Herbach.

If you would like to win the Stupid Fast trilogy please enter here:  Stupid Fast Trilogy Giveaway

Please read my book review of Stupid Fast.  Stupid Fast is a rare look at the awkward phase of adolescence, of going from a regular, shy kind of guy to a super jock.  Felton is a lovable character that has to figure out how to navigate his new body and speed and all the attention he is getting with no support from his family.  Stupid Fast is a mix of funny action with a little bit of crazy thrown in .  If you want to get inside the mind of a teenage boy, Stupid Fast is your gateway ticket.  Herbach does an excellent job of capturing the teen experience in Stupid Fast.


Check out this awesome Guest post by Geoff. He has written a guest post on why he writes for those crazy, fun loving teenagers in our life.  As a parent and a teacher of teens, I'm so glad he does.  Plus I love to read YA myself, because I've still got my teenage heart.  Read on.


Check out the author interview with Geoff.  He has graciously answered some interview questions on his life, writing and his new book, Fat Boy vs. the Cheerleaders.  Read on to find out his favorite authors, some writing advice and the back story behind his books.  Oh and what he is writing now.


It has been my pleasure to work with Geoff Herbach this month and I would like to thank him for being the April Minnesota Author in the Spotlight.  I met Geoff at the high school I currently teach at, (South High) when he was scheduled to speak to student via his publisher.  I found out that very day that his son was in my class.  Funny!  Anyways, I am so glad I was able to feature Geoff and his books here on Book Snob.  You need to seriously check out his website and read his books. http://www.geoffherbach.com










Stupid Fast by Geoff Herbach


Stupid Fast.  The Summer I Went from a Joke to a Jock by Geoff Herbach

Meet Felton Reinstein.  He's just met puberty.  Felton is growing so fast that he is outgrowing his clothes at an alarming rate. He has sprouted massive amounts of body hair, started to smell bad, and he just figured out that he can run, stupid fast.  Stupid fast is faster than fast.  Felton can run so fast that people are starting to notice him.  Coaches are recruiting him for the track team, baseball and football teams.  Girls are starting to pay attention too.  His rapid growth has started to freak out his mom a bit and that has him worried.

School is out for the summer.  Felton's best friend, Gus, moved to Venezuela and now Felton has to do his paper route.  His mom, Jerri, has started acting real weird, she was already weird but now its worse.  His Dad committed suicide when he was five and Felton found him.  His younger brother, Andrew, has been pushed to the edge and now only wears pirate clothes, because he burned all his other clothes.  So all Felton wants to do is run, run as fast as he can.  Oh and hang out with his new girlfriend, Aleah.

Stupid Fast is a rare look at the awkward phase of adolescence, of going from a regular, shy kind of guy to a super jock.  Felton is a lovable character that has to figure out how to navigate his new body and speed and all the attention he is getting with no support from his family.  Stupid Fast is a mix of funny action with a little bit of crazy thrown in .  If you want to get inside the mind of a teenage boy, Stupid Fast is your gateway ticket.  Herbach does an excellent job of capturing the teen experience in Stupid Fast.

The Stupid Fast Trilogy should be a part of every Reading classroom library.  It is a great book for reluctant readers and guys who "don't read".  Stupid Fast is not just about sports, it tackles tough issues head on.  The plot is entertaining, the voice of the main character is original and I loved it.  It made me think a lot about my teenage son and the teens in my classroom and what they are going through that I am not privy too.  Teens need good books like Stupid Fast.

I'm off to give my teenage son a giant hug.  I wonder if he will hug me back.




Tuesday, April 29, 2014

Art Spiegalman is Amazing!

Art Spiegalman is Amazing!!

Art Spiegalman came to Minneapolis on Friday last week (April 25th) and spoke to a sold out crowd.  My teaching team and I brought our 9th grade students to see the iconic author and comic artist speak about Co-Mix as a part of the
Pen Pals Author Lecture series offered by the Hennepin County Library Friends.

He started his talk saying that "everything he knows he learned from comic books".  Art won the Pulitzer Prize for Maus. A Survivor's Tale.  My Father Bleeds History.  This is one of the texts my 9th grade world history students read in their English classes.

Art is quoted for saying, "Comics are a gateway drug to literacy".  I couldn't agree more.  I love comics/graphic novels and so my kids and students.  They literally gets reluctant kids reading, especially kids with Aspergers and ADHD.  I speak from experience.

His newest book is called CO-MIX.  A Retrospective of Comics, Graphics and Scraps.  Most of his speech was on this book and it details his life and features many of his comics including some of his New Yorker magazine covers.  He got his start working for Bazooka and he even drew Garbage Pail kids.  Remember those?

If you get a chance to see Art Spiegalman, you seriously need to go.  He is a genius and he is amazing.  I think I am his biggest fan.







Geoff Herbach Author Interview + Giveaway


Geoff Herbach Author Interview + Giveaway

Geoff Herbach is the Author in the Spotlight here on BookSnob for the month of April.  He has graciously answered some interview questions on his life, writing and his new book, Fat Boy vs. the Cheerleaders.  Read on to find out his favorite authors, some writing advice and the back story behind his books.  Oh and what he is writing now.

Hi Geoff,

1. Tell us a little bit about yourself?  I’m a professor at Minnesota State, Mankato. I’ve got a sweet (very tall) wife and four kids (counting my two excellent step kids).  I spend about half my time in a really giant log cabin in Mankato – when I’m there, I’m all by myself, generally, because my kids and wife all live in Minneapolis -- and the other half of my time in a three bedroom condo in Minneapolis where all the boy kids sleep in one horrifying room and the girl gets her own bedroom, so she lords it over the boys, which causes strife. My wife and I sometimes hide in our room. We have a bathroom in there, which is pretty great (I would maybe die without a this separate bathroom). That’s the primary way I describe myself: weird living situation.

2. What is the inspiration behind your newest book, “Fat Boy vs. the Cheerleaders”?  What day
will your new book hit the bookshelves?  I was staring at a pop machine at Mankato and I wondered where all the money went to (students were lined up, buying their Code Red Dew and energy drinks).  Then I thought it would be hilarious if some kind of diet activist robbed the machines and gave the money back to poor kids who got most of their calories from soda, which is not good.  This character would be like Robin Hood.  Gabe was born a few days later. He is not like Robin Hood, exactly.

3. Usually an author puts some of his own life experiences in the book.  Did you do that?  Do you have anything in common with your characters?  Well, I can in a blink take everything out of my refrigerator and jam it all in my mouth. I’m a huge unconscious eater. It actually runs in the family. I once found my mom asleep on the couch with a bagel stuck in her mouth. Gabe and I share bad eating habits. Also, the cleaning woman in the book is not fictional. She was my cleaning woman growing up. She spilled stuff everywhere, ripped down curtains, and said, “Better laugh than cry,” all the time.

4. Can you tell us why or when you decided to become a writer? I’ve always wanted to be a writer. In fifth grade I wrote a fine story on a typewriter, even though I couldn’t type. It was about hang-gliding ants. I pictured a secretary weeping openly about its beauty while she rode the subway in NYC. I tried to do a lot of other stuff when I was a younger adult, because I didn’t want to be poor (my parents terrified me about the poverty and squalor 19th Century writers sometimes lived in), but I really only wanted to write.

5. Do you like to read?  What authors or books influence you?  I read constantly.  All the time.  School reading takes much of my attention, but I try to read for pleasure as much as I do for school, if possible. Kurt Vonnegut was my first love.  J.D. Salinger, of course (really, the book that killed me was Franny and Zooey, not Catcher, although I loved that plenty). George Saunders and Jennifer Egan are my favorite contemporary, literary writers, I suppose. There are so many amazing YA writers penning write now – just locally, we’re packed to the gills with people I love to read: Mesrobian, Cronn-Mills, Hautman, O’Connor, Avasthi, etc. etc. etc.

6. How do carve out time in your day to write when you are busy teaching college?  Are you writing another book? I don’t know. Honestly, finding time is a huge problem. Maybe finding time is not the right way to say it, because I find time, but it’s all over the place and in fits and starts. My teaching schedule (including meetings and student conferences, etc.) really dictates when I can write. If I don’t stay on the writing, messing around on the page when there’s a spare moment, I’m doomed to fail.  That said, I’m working on a book I really, really love right now! It’s called The Keeper about a very poor, remarkable kid who gets his wealthy girlfriend pregnant and is banished from contact with her.

7. Have your students read your book?  What is their reaction to having a published author as a Creative Writing teacher? Yeah, many have. They seem to like it (sometimes they get Amazon emails highlighting one of my books, and they’re pretty psyched). My favorite students are the ones who bring my books to class and make a show of reading them, like maybe I’ll consider their interest in my stuff when I’m grading? I won’t!

8. Can you impart some of your writing advice to us? Have patience, because nothing happens fast. Keep writing for the love of writing, not for publication, because if you’re writing for publication, you will get sick and depressed and probably quit.

9. You won the Minnesota Book Award for your book, Nothing Special.  Can you describe your initial reaction when they called your name at the awards ceremony? I was totally shocked. I know a bit about the other books that were finalists in my category and I figured I had no shot, because they are really, really good books. So, when I was called, I’d just stuffed a cracker and some hummus in my mouth. I was sort of choking on the way to the stage.

10. In one sentence, tell readers why they should read Fat Boy vs. the Cheerleaders. Gabe Johnson is a sweet, funny, hurt kid and you will enjoy seeing him find his power and his full human capacity (and he makes some great jokes along the way).

Thanks Geoff


If you would like to win a copy of Geoff's Stupid Fast trilogy enter here:  Stupid Fast Trilogy Giveaway




Monday, April 28, 2014

Geoff Herbach Guest Post + Giveaway


Geoff Herbach Guest Post + Giveaway

Geoff Herbach is the Author in the Spotlight here on BookSnob for the month of April.  He has written a guest post on why he writes for those crazy, fun loving teenagers in our life.  As a parent and a teacher of teens, I'm so glad he does.  Plus I love to read YA myself, because I've still got my teenage heart.  Read on.

Why I Write YA

By Geoff Herbach

Over the course of the last few years, I’ve been asked a bunch of times, in various ways, the following: Why YA? Sometimes the question is vaguely snotty (often from smart-looking 14-year-old boys who clearly read Ulysses). Sometimes it’s academic (kids firing out frantic emails to complete school book reports).  Sometimes it’s aspirational (“I, too, have a multi-book YA series in mind,” means the insomniac college girl).  Often it’s laced with sympathy (“Male lead? Well, good luck to you,” is the subtext of the publishing professional).

At first my answer was pretty flat.  I’d say something like, “I just got this wicked monkey voice in my head and what am I going to do with it?  Tell it to shut up?  No, I’m going to write that monkey down!”

But because the question is asked so often and because the asker has so often been of the non-snotty, sincere variety, I’ve been forced to reflect, to shut my eyes, to breathe deep (exhale = om) and to think hard about my intent.  This doesn’t come naturally to me. I’m inclined to spend hours reading the box scores of baseball games. I’m inclined to watch cat videos on YouTube. I’m compelled to look at endlessly excellent photos of family pancake breakfasts, hilarious cake crushing one-year-olds, and Boundary Waters fishing trips posted to Facebook by all 7 or 8 billion inhabitants of planet earth.

Considering my intent?  Ow.  Makes me want to stare at the contents of the refrigerator (that’s my
literal response, upon which I should also reflect at some point). 

Okay.  My eyes are closed.  Here’s what I know. 

A few years ago, my son’s voice dropped and he grew six inches.  He grew a fluffy little mustache.  He began to smell like a donkey in a stable (as all young men do).  And, he stopped reading anything. 

I mean anything!  Where once he had a book perched in front of him (or a magazine or the text of a cereal box or a ‘how-to’ manual) at all waking hours, he had nothing.  Air.  Space.  He stared into nothingness.  He waited for his next opportunity to bask in the glow of whatever electronic screen that became available to him.

When I asked what happened, why books no longer stayed in his hands, he replied, “They don’t apply to me.” 

“And the Wizarding World once did apply?” 

He shrugged and pulled out his cell phone.

Yes.  Really.  I started writing YA with the explicit purpose of appealing to my son who no longer liked books.  I thought be funny.  I thought use some rough language.  I thought get sports and music in there, and girls.  And I wrote and entertained myself, made myself laugh.  This monkey voice, rambling, weird, unending, did its job.

But that was just the start.  My son’s brand new fluffy mustache didn’t drive the story.

My eyes are still closed.  I’m breathing quietly.

I spent my first few years as a YA writer really focused on sport.  It’s something I know. I grew up in jock culture.  I grew up among athletes who gained power based solely on their ability to kill it on the field.  I probably benefitted from that in high school.  I saw athletes sometimes treat others terribly.  When I was younger, smaller, dorkier, I was often the victim of this culture of cruelty.  Show the weak how weak they really are.  Throw around that physical and societal strength.

At the far, worst end, think Steubenville, Ohio.

We hear so many of those stories.  Monolithic jock culture crushes goodness… But, wait. 

Here’s the truth: most of what I saw in jock culture wasn’t like that.  Most of the kids I knew growing up were naturally kind.  Most wanted to do good.  And, athletes, because they have this societal cache (not that they deserve it, necessarily, but it’s real) have the power to make schools, communities, and other kids safer and better.

I’m naturally inclined to nerdiness.  As a kid, I was awkward, uncomfortable, too smart, couldn’t shut up, too jumpy.  For no apparent reason, a couple of athletes in my school protected me.  That’s what I know.

Having traveled quite a bit to schools, though, I’ve heard the other side of that story, the part where jock culture actually does crush goodness. 

My nerdiness manifested itself not just in raising my hand and trying to answer every question a teacher would ask, but also in music. I was obsessed with cellos.  I sang in the madrigal choir, which required me to walk around school in Shakespearean garb on some days.  I feel those kids, too.

So, this last book Fat Boy vs. The Cheerleaders, is about a music kid finding his voice and power to make change.  He also has to confront his own prejudices. To succeed, he has to be kind, too.

Here’s what I think: I started these books with a simple intent: trick kids (my son!) into reading.  They evolved into a meditation on the kindness that was shown me by a few kids, on the many ways a kid can find his or her identity and use that to help themselves and others.

I hope there are kids out there who think after reading these books: I’m going to make the world a better place.  I have the power.

That’s why YA.  Now, I’m going to stare into the refrigerator.

BIO: Geoff Herbach is the author of the award winning Stupid Fast series (Stupid Fast, Nothing Special, and I’m With Stupid). His next book, Fat Boy verses The Cheerleaders, comes out in 2014 from Sourcebooks Fire. In the past, he wrote the literary novel, The Miracle Letters of T. Rimberg, produced radio comedy shows and toured rock clubs telling weird stories. Geoff teaches creative writing at Minnesota State, Mankato.  He lives in a log cabin with a very tall wife.
 Thanks Geoff!!!

If you would like to win a copy of Geoff's Stupid Fast trilogy enter here:  Stupid Fast Trilogy Giveaway


Incendiary Girls Giveaway Winner!

Incendiary Girls Giveaway Winner!


TLC Book Tours along with Kodi Scheer and her publisher are giving away one copy of Incendiary Girls to a BookSnob follower who lives in the United States.  Yay!

Here is the winner...

Anita Y from Georgia

Congratulations!!
Enjoy your new book.

Here is an excerpt from my book review of Incendiary Girls:

Incendiary Girls is a collection of short stories that are unforgettable and non-traditional.  Many of the stories have the thread of medicine running through them as well as some magical or fantastical elements.  Sometimes the stories are disturbing yet for every story I was intrigued and wanted to find out where the author was leading me and how the story would end.



Sunday, April 27, 2014

Clown School in France: Poem in My Post

Poem in My Post
Clown School in France by Lee Kisling

This week's poem is from my poetry class teacher Lee Kisling.  He offered a free 7 week poetry class at the Hudson library in Wisconsin and it has changed my life.  I have always written and appreciated poetry but now I have learned about different types of poems, I have discovered new poets to read and my poems are improving.  I actually feel like a real writer for the first time.  I feel confident, like I could actually publish one of my poems someday.  Thank you Lee for the great experience.

Lee recently published one of his poems in StoneBoat Literary Journal called We're Sorry.  It is an awesome poem and I wish I could print it here but I don't have access to it.  So instead I want you to read Clown School in France.  (It is a free association poem) This poem won Lee an award at Hamline College in St. Paul, Minnesota.  Just remember you heard of Lee Kisling poem's here first.

Clown School in France

How do these two things fit together-
the rain falls on the just and the unjust, and yet
all the umbrellas are made in the poorest countries?

How far away from your troubles do you need to get
in order to understand them?  The earth seen from space
doesn't show graveyards.  But it seems a long way to go.

And who is hee-hawing in the balcony
of the mad opera of desire?  And what is so funny
about the tumult of the heart?

I ask myself - if I had known these answers sooner,
then what would I have done?  I would have gone
to clown school in France.

Unschooled, I have learned
that the smaller half of what is sad is funny
and the larger half of what is funny is sad.

A younger man might consider a life in the big shoes,
with face-paint tears and drinking alone in the trailer,
but it's much too late for me, my dears.

The invisible child is in the park again
or does the wind just blow the swing?

If I could have seen into the future, then
what would I have done?
I would have gone.
To clown school
in France.

By Lee Kisling





Wednesday, April 23, 2014

World Book Night 2014

World Book Night 2014

I am a first time participant in World Book Night 2014.  I signed up to give away 20 copies of Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein.  Unofficially I have given away books to my students on this day for a couple of years to mark the International Day of the Book.  Today it was great to give away an official book and get in the World Book Night book lover tradition.  I am feel so important and blessed to be able to share my love of reading with students.

I chose to giveaway Code Name Verity for a variety of reasons.  First, I wanted a YA title to give away to 9th graders.  Second I wanted a super good book that would appeal to the guys and the girls in class that was based in history (because I am a history teacher).  Third, Code Name Verity was given the Printz Honor award and that is my favorite book award so I knew students would LOVE it.

I gave away lots of books in my class today (including Code Name Verity).  Each person in my class and some who came from other classes, chose a book they wanted to read from my front table. It is so fun to give away good books and books you love.  I had several kids ask me what the best book on the table was and my answer was always Code Name Verity.

I can't wait till next year.
Happy Reading!!


Sunday, April 20, 2014

The Guest House: Poem in My Post

Poem in My Post.
The Guest House by Jelaluddin Rumi, translation by Coleman Barks.

I chose this week's poem because I saw an article on Buzzfeed called 36 Life Changing Poems
Everyone Should Read.  You need to go to the link and read some of the poems.  Many of which I hadn't read before.  Here is the link:  http://www.buzzfeed.com/krystieyandoli/life-changing-poems-everyone-should-read

There are so many great poems out there and it sometimes hard to choose just one to share with you.  I chose this one because I love Rumi and also because today is Easter and with guests coming over and families getting together, I thought the poem was a good metaphor for living our lives and entertaining.



THE GUEST HOUSE

This being human is a guest house.
Every morning a new arrival.

A joy, a depression, a meanness,
some momentary awareness comes
as an unexpected visitor.

Welcome and entertain them all!
Even if they are a crowd of sorrows,
who violently sweep your house
empty of its furniture,
still, treat each guest honorably.
He may be clearing you out
for some new delight.

The dark thought, the shame, the malice.
meet them at the door laughing and invite them in.

Be grateful for whatever comes.
because each has been sent
as a guide from beyond.

-- Jelaluddin Rumi,
    translation by Coleman Barks

Happy Easter!!


Monday, April 14, 2014

Stupid Fast Trilogy Giveaway

Stupid Fast Trilogy Giveaway

Geoff Herbach is the April Author in the Spotlight here on BookSnob and he has graciously decided to giveaway one set of his Stupid Fast trilogy to one BookSnob follower who lives in the U.S./Canada.  That is 3 awesome books in one giveaway people!

1.  Stupid Fast
2.  Nothing Special
3.  I'm With Stupid


Here is the synopsis from Goodreads:
Stupid Fast:
I, Felton Reinstein, am Stupid Fast. Seriously. The upper classmen used to call me Squirrel Nut, because I was little and jumpy. Then, during sophomore year, I got tall and huge and so fast the gym teachers in their tight shorts fell all over themselves. During summer, three things happened all at once. First, the pee-smelling jocks in my grade got me to work out for football, even though I had no intention of playing. Second, on my paper route the most beautiful girl I have ever seen moved in and played piano at 6 a.m. Third, my mom, who never drinks, had some wine, slept in her car, stopped weeding the garden, then took my TV and put it in her room and decided she wouldn’t get out of bed.

Listen, I have not had much success in my life. But suddenly I’m riding around in a jock’s pick-up truck? Suddenly I’m invited to go on walks with beautiful girls? So, it’s understandable that when my little brother stopped playing piano and began to dress like a pirate I didn’t pay much attention. That I didn’t want to deal with my mom coming apart.

Nothing Special:

Hey Aleah,
I miss you. Because there's some serious donkey crap going on right now. I'm supposed to be at football camp, but noooo ... Andrew had to go missing! So because of my stupid little brother, I'll probably lose my chance at a scholarship and end up being nothing special.

I'm pretty sure Andrew ran away to Florida, and now Gus and I have to drive cross-country to get him. Did you know Gus used to think
Miss Piggy was hot? Anyway, Andrew once told me I needed to get my head out of my butt. So that's what I'm trying to do. How about a kiss for luck?
Felton

"Readers looking for a genuinely memorable first-person narrator--in the vein of Sherman Alexie's Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian or Pete Hautman's Godless-- should really catch up to Stupid Fast."--StarTribune

I'm With Stupid:

Felton Reinstein has never been good with stress. Which is why he's seriously freaking out. Revealing his college choice on national TV? It's a heart attack waiting to happen. Deciding on a major for the next four years of his life? Ridiculous. He barely even knows who he is outside of football. And so...he embarks on The Epic Quest to Be Meaningful.

Which leads to:

1. Mentoring a freshman called Pig Boy.

2. The state of Wisconsin hating him.

3. His track coach suspending him.

4. The funniest viral video the world has ever seen.

5. A whole new appreciation for his family, his friends, and what's really important in life.

Contest Rules:
Fill out the Form
U.S./Canada residents only
Ends April 30 at midnight.
Good Luck!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Sunday, April 13, 2014

Look Here: Poem in My Post


Poem in My Post:  Look Here by Pamela Alexander

I chose today's poem because we read it in my poetry class this week and frankly I think it is amazing.   I love the metaphors.  You can find today's poem in the book Inland.

Here is the synopsis of Inland from Goodreads:

Pamela Alexander's poetry is characterized by inventive language, scrupulous accuracy of imagery, and a winning fusion of the comic and the deeply serious. Her subjects vary as widely as her settings, which range from the New Hampshire woods to the Arizona desert. A family life eccentric to the point of chaos, close observations of wildlife, and coastal sailing are among the poet's topics.

Despite this variety, Inland has an emerging organization that suggests a kind of plot. The family is left behind in the way that families of origin always are, revealed fully only in perspective: “foghorns / in the harbor, two different pitches / at different intervals / repeating so often I didn't hear them / and their accidental harmonies / until I'd left town.” Shifting toward the subject of new relationships, in her diatribe against a past (and passing) lover Alexander gives a new twist to the fact that this subject has been fair game for poets for centuries: “...you could say hello, you canoe-footed fur-faced / musk ox, pockets full of cheese and acorns / and live fish and four-headed winds and sky...”

James Merrill, praising Alexander's first book, called it “a wonderful achievement. Her language is now simple, now playful, now extremely poignant.” This is an apt description of Inland as well, a book that shows Alexander in witty yet serious engagement with the world. The longest poem here, “Swallowing the Anchor” (the title is the sailors' term for giving up the sea), is also the most directly personal. It closes the section of the book in which the poet comes to terms with losses, including the death of the loved one. She does this with grace—and her wit is not jokes, her poignancy is not sentimentality.



Look Here by Pamela Alexander

Next time you walk by my place
in your bearcoat and mooseboots,
your hair all sticks and leaves
like an osprey's nest on a piling,
next time you walk across my shadow
with those swamp-stumping galoshes
below that grizzly coat and your own whiskers
that look rumpled as if something's
been in them already this morning
mussing and growling and kissing--
next time you pole the raft of you downriver
down River Street past my place
you could say hello, you canoe-footed fur-faced
musk ox, pockets full of cheese and acorns
and live fish and four-headed winds and sky, hello
is what human beings say when they meet each other
--if you can't say hello like a human don't
come down this street again and when you do don't
bring that she-bear, and if you do I'll know
even if I'm not on the steps putting my shadow
down like a welcome mat, I'll know.


Crater XV Giveaway Winner!

Crater XV Giveaway Winner!

I am pleased to announce the winner of Kevin Cannon's graphic novel, Crater XV.  Kevin was the March Author in the Spotlight and is giving away one copy of his awesome graphic novel to a lucky BookSnob follower.

And the winner is.....

Tif from the blog Tif Talks Books

Congratulations Tif!!
I hope you enjoy your new book.

Here is an excerpt from my book review:

Crater XV picks up right where Far Arden left off.  Cannon has created a lovable main character in Army Shanks.  He is a super hero, a savior of girls and women, a friend to the orphans, he risks life and limb to fight for what he believes in, he is like no other, and most importantly, he is fun to read about and follow on his misadventures.  You're in for a wild ride to the moon and back or at least to Crater XV and back.

Friday, April 11, 2014

Incendiary Girls Giveaway

Incendiary Girls Giveaway

TLC Book Tours along with Kodi Scheer and her publisher are giving away one copy of Incendiary Girls to a BookSnob follower who lives in the United States.  Yay!

Here is the synopsis from Goodreads:

Incendiary Girls explores our baser instincts with vivid imagination and humor. In these stories, our bodies become strange and unfamiliar terrain, a medium for transformation. In “Fundamental Laws of Nature,” a doctor considers her legacy, both good and bad, when she discovers that her mother has been reincarnated as a thoroughbred mare. In the title story, a mischievous angel chronicles the remarkable life of a girl just beyond death’s reach.In Scheer’s hands, empathy and attachment are illuminated by the absurdity of life. When our bodies betray us, when we begin to feel our minds slip, how much can we embrace without going insane? How much can we detach ourselves before losing our humanity? Scheer’s stories grapple with these questions in each throbbing, choking, heartbreaking moment.

Contest Rules.
Fill out the form
End April 26th at midnight.
U.S. residents only
Good Luck.


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Thursday, April 10, 2014

Incendiary Girls by Kodi Scheer

Incendiary Girls.  Stories by Kodi Scheer

Incendiary Girls is a collection of short stories that are unforgettable and non-traditional.  Many of the stories have the thread of medicine running through them as well as some magical or fantastical elements.  Sometimes the stories are disturbing yet for every story I was intrigued and wanted to find out where the author was leading me and how the story would end.

My favorite story is the title story because it is based in Turkey during the Armenian genocide.  When a Camel Breaks Your Heart is odd and funny and was super entertaining.  I also really liked the story Gross Anatomy.  There are eleven beautiful, unsettling, unique and strange stories in this collection.  Give yourself permission to laugh at the oddities and imagine the absurd and just go with it.

I love how the cover is represented in stark black and white and how it reflects the stories inside.   Medicine, illness, sickness is so often portrayed in black and white circumstances.  Either your sick or your not sick but humans and their bodies are anything but ordinary and Scheer explores the human body with a little bit of wonder and a lot of intensity.

I love short stories and try to read at least one a week.  With Incendiary Girls, I read one a day.  I couldn't stop.  Scheer does an excellent job juxtaposing reality with fantasy and having her patients (I mean stories) exhibit fundamental psychological symptoms of the creative variety.  She is a great storyteller.

One word:  Unforgettable.




Monday, April 7, 2014

March Author in the Spotlight Wrap-Up

March Author in the Spotlight Wrap-Up + Giveaway


The giveaway for Crater XV ends at midnight tonight!!  Hurry and Enter!  Find the link below.

I'm a little late in saying goodbye to March.  It has been a busy month for me with a teacher/student trip to NYC and the end of the 3rd quarter and grades due all at the same time.  So I decided to put off this post for a week and finish my book reviews and other things I needed to do.

Now March is officially over for me so please join me in saying adieu to March's author in the spotlight, Kevin Cannon.

If you would like to win a copy of Kevin's graphic novel, Crater XV please enter here:  Crater XV Giveaway

Please read my book review of Far Arden.  Far Arden is a page turning, karate kicking, stomach punching, thought provoking, kick ass graphic novel that will keep you guessing.  There are plenty of surprises thrown in that will make you laugh and pull your heart strings. Far Arden is skillfully drawn in black and white with intricate detail.  Kevin is a well known cartoonist and cartographer and is artwork is drawn with heart and humor and will keep the reader coming back for more.

Far Arden Book Review

Please read my book review of Crater XV.  Crater XV picks up right where Far Arden left off.  Cannon has created a lovable main character in Army Shanks.  He is a super hero, a savior of girls and women, a friend to the orphans, he risks life and limb to fight for what he believes in, he is like no other, and most importantly, he is fun to read about and follow on his misadventures.  You're in for a wild ride to the moon and back or at least to Crater XV and back.

Crater XV Book Review

Check out this awesome Guest Post by Kevin.  It is definitely the best guest post ever written for BookSnob in my opinion.  It is a definite must read, especially if you are interested in graphic novels or comics.

Kevin Cannon Guest Post

Check out the author interview with Kevin.  In this interview, Kevin talks about his writing process, his favorite cartoonists and he includes links and websites for further investigation.

Kevin Cannon Author Interview

It has been my pleasure to work with Kevin Cannon this month and I would like to thank him for being the March Minnesota Author in the Spotlight.  I met Kevin at the Twin Cities Book Festival and admire his work as a cartoonist and I am so glad I was able to feature two of books here on Book Snob.  He has written a lot of books and comics as well as creates maps and so much more.  You need to seriously check out his website and read his books. http://www.kevincannon.org/








Sunday, April 6, 2014

Crater XV by Kevin Cannon

Crater XV by Kevin Cannon

Time for the space race.  Army Shanks is still depressed and grieving when decides to pack it all up and leave Devon Island in the Canadian Arctic for Antartica.  As Army is sailing away, the Siberians pirates arrive with a space rocket on their ship.  Then a cute little runaway named Wendy appears to fulfill her dream of going to outer space and Shanks gets sucked into the melodrama.  When he sees his childhood sweetheart from the orphanage and she doesn't remember him, he knows he must do whatever he can to save her.

Crater XV picks up right where Far Arden left off.  Cannon has created a lovable main character in Army Shanks.  He is a super hero, a savior of girls and women, a friend to the orphans, he risks life and limb to fight for what he believes in, he is like no other, and most importantly, he is fun to read about and follow on his misadventures.  You're in for a wild ride to the moon and back or at least to Crater XV and back.

A lot of Crater XV is based on the real race to space by the Soviets and the Americans.  Cannon's graphic novel called T-Minus: The Race to the Moon, inspired some of the plot of Crater XV.  I love a graphic novel that is not only fun and entertaining to read but one that also teaches me a little history and this one does both.  Canadians in the space race, who knew?

If you like graphic novels, you will love Crater XV.  Crater XV is well drawn, well written and it is enjoyable to read.  Cannon is an excellent cartoonist and well known for his detailed drawings.  The artwork in Crater XV is similar to Far Arden, and done in black and white with intricate detail.





Fortune: Poem in Your Post

Poem in Your Post:  Fortune by Dobby Gibson

Every Sunday in April, I will highlight a poem or poet during National Poetry Month.

I love poetry and finding new poets is so much fun.  Dobby Gibson is a new poet for me.  I hope to read his book of poems soon.

I stumbled across this poem when researching the winners of the Minnesota Book Award.  Dobby Gibson's book, It Becomes You, was shortlisted for the prize.



To read the poem in my post today, you will need to watch the video.
Let me know what you think.

 


Saturday, April 5, 2014

Book Spine Poetry

Book Spine Poetry
Inspired by an email I received from Red Balloon Books, I decided to create a poem from the spine of books on my shelves.  I suspect this is the first of many to come since April is National Poetry Month.  Let me know what you think.  I am pretty proud that I was able to use two Hemingway titles and a Steinbeck and a Markham.  I am not going to lie, this was super fun and I think you should try it.  If you do, please drop by and provide a link in the comments.  If you post on Twitter or Tumblr or Facebook, use the tag #bookspinepoetry and include me in the link if you can.  Have Fun.  Beware it is somewhat addicting.



Any human heart,
For whom the bell tolls,
Love warps the mind a little.
Open Secrets,
Cascade,
West with the night.
The moon is down,
The sun also rises,
Where the heart is.




Friday, April 4, 2014

The Moon Sisters Giveaway Winner!

The  Moon Sisters Giveaway Winner!

I am proud to announce the winner of The Moon Sisters.   Booksnob's blog is giving away one copy of The Moon Sisters in conjunction with TLC book tours and Crown publishing to a reader living in United States.  The Moon Sisters is destined to become a book club favorite and treasured book on your shelf.

And the winner is:

Baylee from Texas.

Congratulations Baylee.  You are going to love this book.

Here is an excerpt from my book review:
The Moon Sisters is a sweet, endearing story of love and magic and coming to terms with the family you have been blessed with.  Walsh has created a cast of interesting characters that you will come to love and grieve over their pain.  I would describe this book as magical and endearing and full of heart.