B is for Blue Heron

When shifting through me collections of books, I found  had a hard time deciding on a book/story for the letter B. I have a lot ob B titles, not as many as M or D  titles though, but I struggled to pick a book that I would enjoy reliving enough to blog about it. After a while I settled on Blue Heron by Avi. Many of you are probably familiar with the name at least, or have heard/read some of his books. He's a diverse middle grade/YA fiction writer who writes about field mice adventures (Poppy & Poppy's Return), Edgar Allen Poe (The Man Who Was Poe), teenager girls who become sailors (True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle). Yeah, it is pretty diverse bibliography.

I discovered Avi when I would go on Saturday mornings to my local library in Fredonia, NY. In 1992 I was scanning the shelves of the new releases and found this book and I knew I had to read it. The artwork caught my eye. I love herons. It looked like it was done in watercolours and I wanted to be sitting on that rock. So, I checked it out. The silly, stupid, best part of it was that I was the first to check out from the library. Side note: my first library card number was 530. Yeah, I still remember that dumb detail.

I honestly can't remember much from the book. The last time I read it was over five years ago, I think, when I re-read it. So, it's been a while. I remember it was a story about a teenage girl who goes to visit her father for the summer at his lake house. It is a story about finding oneself, that much I do remember. 

Note: I do want to re-read it. It is only 186 pages, so I will likely do a quick read and an update in a few days to this post.

So, I have a deep love for Blue Herons, and the first time I saw one in the wild I was super excited by the discovery. I didn't have a camera, but I remember trying to remember the details of this tall statuesque bird wading in the waters of a creek in the early evening. It just stood there. At first I thought it was a trick of my eyes, but it moved slightly and I saw the long beak and it's wings. It was beautiful. I smile when I remember that moment.

Now the pantoum. This will be tricky, not having a fresh memory of the story, but let's see what we can do, Dear Readers.

Heron Sight*

It is when there is no sound

and the darkness crawling in

above a creek or lake that

is where you'll likely spy.

And the darkness crawling in,

just after  the sun has gone down 

is where you'll likely spy

this statuesque avian ballerina.

Just after the sun has gone down,

to feed upon the littlest fishes

this statuesque avian ballerina,

in a silent dancing delight.

To feed upon the littlest fishes

that the water can possibly offer.

In a silent dancing delight

is when you could catch it unawares.

That the water can possibly offer,

a meal fit for a Great

is when your could catch it unawares

with no sound your feet to make.

A meal fit for a Great

above a creek or lake that 

with no sound your feet to make

it is when there is no sound.

*-I updated the wording because I wrote this later at night and forgot to review before I post. I think it sounds much better because of it (at 10:06 am).

Okay, I lied. I ended up using my memory of the first time I saw a heron, that's not really a bad thing, is it? I did get a little existential at the end. I would love a comment or two about what you think of the poem though, Dear Readers.

Leave me some love and what excited you the first time you saw it in the wild?

Cheers!  

A Review: Cratchit & Company

Did you ever want to know what happened to Cratchit during the story of A Christmas Carol? Afterward? See him get judged by the same spirits that judged Scrooge? Would Cratchit be guilty of the same crimes  as Scrooge?

These are questions that are posed in the novel Cratchit & Company by Garrett Gilchrist. A thoroughly engaging story about what happen to Bob Cratchit  on Christmas Eve 1844. Bob is dealing with the death of his son, Tiny Tim and his cruel boss Ebeneezer Scrooge. The year is 1844 when his life is changed by three spirits. It's a story to already know, but told from not only a different perspective, but with a modern flare.

Gilchrist gives a voice to Bob, when not much is known about the lowly clerk of Scrooge & Marley's Counting House. what about his home life or what Bob really thinks of his boss. we are taken on a journey through Bob's life with familiar guides. Gilchrist's Bob's is unassuming, but is is a man with fears and hard choices that feel real and similar to some our own fears and choices. What Bob experiences, many others have experienced, whether in love or career choices. What stands out in Crachit & Company is Gilchrist's frankness about Bob and his choices. What choices he is given. And what choices he makes.

I could relate to Bob Cratchit is a way I never thought of before with the classic story, as Bob is hardly a major player there. I found I could sympathize with Bob and the choices he has to make, after seeing his own life pass before him. It is a refreshing retelling of the classic story and a healthy dash of wit thrown in for good measure.

I love characters who are broken, flawed, troubled, or not the standard type of hero, an anti-hero, if you will. Bob Cratchit is not just what Gilchrist calls an 'Everyman', he is flawed and very much broken when we meet him. He is also you, at least that is what i felt when reading it. I find Gilchrist's writing enjoyable and easy to read, while he still pays a bit of an homage to Dickens' beloved work.

Crachit & Company would make a fun movie, but in the mind time you should check out Crachit & Company for something a little different. You can buy it here, Crachit & Company.

Awoken - A Cthulhu Love Story

This is truly a first!!! I don't normally read for a whole day! And I especially don't read "Teenage Paranormal Romance". In fact, I normally detest this genre as a whole. It seems filled with silly, empty-headed characters and poorly-written dialogue. (The most famous of these is the "Twilight" Series, by the Princess of Vapid Characters herself, Stephenie Meyers. Granted, those thoughts are based on the movie representations of her characters, not the book ones.) My distaste for this genre knew no bounds, but I admit to have scarcely read a word of these books for a long time. I know it's not really fair to judge when I haven't read them, but I couldn't be far from the truth, could I? What little I had encountered with this genre made me wretch with literary disgust.

H.G. Wells

Edgar Allen Poe

Agatha Christie

Anne McCaffrey

What can I say about "Teenage Paranormal Romance"? That it's glorified fan fiction, something of which I am far more familiar with. I have stayed away from this genre, because it doesn't do anything for me. I prefer something with a bit more substance, such as the likes of Shakespeare, Agatha Christie, Anne McCaffrey, H.G. Wells, or Douglas Adams. I am an avid reader of most everything, but I do fall into certain genres a bit more than others. I was an English major in college, and have thus read many of those works by Chaucer, Poe, Homer, Arthur Conan Doyle, L. Frank Baum, and a good many others, in a wide variety of courses during my time at SUNY Fredonia, as well as on my own. Even after college, I couldn't stop. I love a good story.  Every time I went in a book store (especially a used book store), I would come out with bags of books (almost as bad as my husband is with VHS tapes of public domain cartoons nowadays). In recent years, I have gotten into Garth Nix, Philip Pullman, James Owen, JK Rowling, and Cornelia Funke. My primary genre has always been Sci-Fi/Fantasy, but I love a good mystery/suspense thriller, and anything that's a classic (Of Mice and Men for example).

Cover Art

But what happened when I received an advance copy of Awoken by Serra Elinsen, a relative newbie to the writing world? It's odd how she appeared out of nowhere, but I guess that being a full-time stay-at-home mom doesn't give you the chance to get out much. She has a blog, and I guess with her free time opened up (having her home-schooled chitlins attending public school now), she needed to find something to do with her time. I really applaud her for starting a blog, as I am still new to this concept (at least, that;s how it feels to me), though the year mark is coming up fast (how the time does fly). I can only imagine how Mrs. Elinsen feels having her book, her FIRST book, Awoken, published (in Kindle format).

When the actual book copy (the special "first edition") arrived, I didn't really think much of it. I mean, a love story involving Cthulhu, in the style of Twilight? I scoffed! I have many friends who swear by Twilight (we are not talking movies either, a different format entirely and for a different time). But really, me, read a schmaltzy romance novel aimed at the teenage set? I hardly think....

It then struck me that I was missing a critical opportunity here. In the realm of the internet, with the countless blogs out there to compete, I needed an angle. I could read this thing and rip it to shreds as others have done, but would that be enough? I think so!

I have tried reviews before, such as when I read the book Eragon and then watched the movie. I ripped that one to shreds. That was quite the eye-opening experience. I have a greater respect for the storyteller, and as I am a struggling writer myself, I thought, why not. I hadn't really done a full book review yet. Why not reach outside my comfort zone, and tackle something that I was not familiar with, but use my skills as a reader and writer of story to really get the meat of the book? And besides, it is about Cthulhu, the Destroyer of Worlds!

So, what does "Awoken" bring to the table? Well, surprisingly more than I'd previously thought. It is probably not--no, it IS NOT--the best thing I have ever read (e.g. Anne McCaffrey or James Owen), but it's not "The Old Man and The Sea" by Hemingway either (I hated that book in high school; Still do). But, I didn't really detest it, either. Did "Awoken" awaken something in me? (Sorry, that was really uncalled for. Bad writer! This is a No-Pun Zone ~slaps own hands~.)

When I started reading at 9 o'clock this morning, I was convinced that I was reading something that a high school freshman was writing in her dairy, with all of these overly zealous descriptions of her hygienic habits, how dumb her house looked, and how horrible her life was. Often in the lengthy and rather dull descriptions of her life, there would be a rather amazingly awesome vocabulary word tacked into the middle of the paragraph. Oh, the usage was right, but it hardly fit the feel of the chapter or the paragraph. One would think that someone was using a spelling list to bolster their writing. Not that I am slamming Mrs. Elinsen for trying to increase her vocabulary; She clearly knows how to use words in proper context. However, the use of "frenetic" and "vertegris" felt awkward.

~WARNING! MIGHT BE SPOILERS FROM HERE ONWARD!!!!~

Art by Zahno91

Now, I am going to say something here: I really like a better part of the middle of "Awoken". There is some really beautiful imagery here, especially when Mrs, Elinsen has Andromeda Slate meet Riley face to face, and when Riley brings her back to his place. I found myself sucked in. I am less familiar with the Legend of Cthulhu than most. What I do know is that he is a God who looks a lot like Davy Jones from the Pirates of the Caribbean movie...and that there is an adorable Squishable Cthulhu. (please click here to see super cute Cthulhu)

It's not without it flaws, though. The overly EMO character of Andromeda Slate gets really irksome and often repetitive. But to give Mrs. Elinsen credit, I saw some decent-to-nice character development within Andi, but also Bree, Vik, and even Riley. There is talent there. I guess when you write for teenagers, that's what you get. I could stand without a plot that drops out in the middle, not just having Andi and Riley rush to NYC to retrieve a book, only to have 6 or 7 chapters of mildly entertaining, but kind of boring vapid romance goings on, then have the big build-up battle between Epistola and Riley and the awaking of Azathoth.

Though the romance between Riley/Cthulhu and Andromeda was unique, it did boarder on schmaltzy and overly saccharine at times. Still, I honestly was rooting for them by the end. Not many girls would choose to look at the great face of Cthulhu out of Love and survive the ordeal. It was kind of sweet!

Would I read it again? Probably (after all, I do have a copy of the book). Do I recommend it to others? Maybe. To those who loved the Twilight series, I definitely would; and  for the others I would say...sure, why not. It's fun, and sweet. Mrs. Elinsen left room for a possible sequel, which I'm certain would draw folks in. Is it the best out there? Not really, but then again, it's not the worst, either. It's a cute story. It did hold my attention through most of the story and I did enjoy the much of the characters' interplay.  I applaud Mrs. Elinsen for completing her first novel and wish it success (as I hope to someday experience). If you want to get to know more of Serra Elinsen check out her blog, Twitter, and Facebook pages:

Serra Elinsen Blog
Serra Elinsen  Twitter
Serra Elinsen  Facebook

Oh, and when I poked around on amazon I discovered that Awoken is #2 in  "Teen & Young Adult Paranormal & Urban Fantasy eBooks" for Kindle downloads. Pretty darn good for a first go! Congrats,  Serra!

Thoughts on Many Waters.....

"Many Water cannot Quench Love, Neither can the Floods Drown it"

Sometimes when I read a book, I don't always understand why I like it. I love to read  A LOT! I love fantasy (and some sci-fi) (James Owen, Anne McCaffrey, or Douglas Adams), mysteries (Sue Grafton or Ellis Peters),and sometimes the occasional straight fiction like the "The Reader" or "Revolutionary Road". I am fond of poetry and Shakespeare and the Meditation's Trilogy (also James Owen), oh and I LOVE young adult fiction like Roald Dahl, L. Frank Baum, and Madeleine L'Engle. I have just finished the "Time Quartet" series, and I thought I would reflect a bit about on one of the books, Many Waters.

Many Waters is a side story about the 2 Murry brothers, Sandy and Dennys (what a weird way to spell Dennys). It's a story about how they end up in Pre-Flood desert with Noah and his family. It's an interesting spin on the Flood Story and I thoroughly enjoyed the whole thing. Now this is the 2nd reading of Many Waters. I noticed a few things.

1. It's not really depicted as a Christian story. It's based on the story of the flood, but it's not really presented as a flood story. Noah isn't even named until about halfway through the book. You definitely feel like that where the story is set up in, but it's not blatantly presented, unless you are really familiar with some of the names (which I wasn't). I picked it up quicker because I read a number of bible stories in one of my literature classes in college. The story is written about the characters, the people, and there lives in that world. The flood in just a background point in the story and it doesn't really happen as  Sandy and Dennys get to go home right as the rains start to fall.

2. The writing is stellar. I never really felt like I was reading a YA (young adult) book. On the flip side I felt that it wasn't being written too thick either. It was a really nice blend of heavy subjects and simple and lovely concepts rolled together.

3. And I think this point is relevant because of Boston. That even when really bad things happen, there are some many good things also happen. Bad things happen to good people, "Whenever there's an earthquake, on a terrible fire, or a typhoon, or whatever, everybody get it. Good people get kill as well as the bad." but those bad things and bad people should NEVER outweigh the good in a person mind.  "There have been many last days...and they mark not only ending but beginnings." Beginnings! That right people, beginnings are just the start of another story. Sometime things have to end to begin elsewhere.Out of the bad, a many good things and people come together to help, "Many Waters cannot Quench Love, Neither can the Floods Drown it". It took me a while to realize where these lines come from , but it's the Song of Solomon.

New American Standard Bible (©1995)
Many waters cannot quench love, 
Nor will rivers overflow it; 
If a man were to give all the riches of his house for love, 
It would be utterly despised.

King James Bible (Cambridge Ed.)
Many waters cannot quench love, 
neither can the floods drown it: 
if a man would give all the substance of his house for love, 
it would utterly be contemned.

Many Waters is probably one of my favourite stories now, both from the literature perspective and the moral lessons stand point. I have a greater respect for the stories of the Bible. It's good to know that college was useful after all :-). I read a number of biblical stories in "Bible as Literature" and The Psalms and the Song of Solomon were and still are some of my favourites, probably because I am a poet at heart.

Also, I have to point out the the "Time Quartet" is so beautifully crafted with it's blend of science, fantasy, and Biblical stories and poetry. There's a duality with the fantasy and faith, something that isn't easily done in literature, but here is works and it works well. Imagine Unicorns, Gryphons, Manticores, and Mammoths in the pre-civilazation world of desert shepards and the like. I recommend this book, or any of Madeleine L'Engles books to anyone who likes a good fantasy with a bit of science and doesn't mind the use a bit of faith as a back drop for the plot. Then check it out.

I leave you with some word, some VERY beautiful words; one more version, I think I like this wording  best:

 Many waters cannot quench love;
    rivers cannot sweep it away.
If one were to give
    all the wealth of one’s house for love,
    it would be utterly scorned.