Biittner's Book Review: An Assortment of Young Adult Fiction

Our book club took the month of August off so I do not have a book review for you. To make up for it I thought I'd make a few comments about some of the fantastic Young Adult (YA) fiction I've read. I've started with the ones I've read most recently and then ended with a few classics that I always mention when asked for some recommendation for young but eager readers. I won't really address plot or content, rather just provide some overall thoughts on each.

The Underland Chronicles by Suzanne Collins
This five book series was written by Collins pre-The Hunger Games. I picked it up for a steal figuring that I enjoyed The Hunger Games so much that it was worth the risk and it most certainly was. The series covers the incredible adventures of Gregor, a young boy who finds himself in the Underland after following his sister through a grate in their laundry room. I really don't want to give too much away other than he encounters an amazing world of bats, bugs, and other beings who live below the surface of our world and gets wrapped up in some prophecies that seem to foretell of his arrival there. The characters are all really well written; Gregor is so likeable and Collins captures the essence of all two year olds in his sister "Boots". I actually laughed out loud at some of the adorable things Boots does and says. Collins does not shy away from some pretty intense situations though and she does a great job of creating some high paced action sequences. I would highly recommend these books, especially for the 9-12 set, as the themes of family, perseverance, and keeping your head up in times of struggle will resonate with anyone.

Also you should read The Hunger Games trilogy if you haven't already. The film adaptation of the first book (The Hunger Games) is actually pretty decent (plus has Lenny Kravitz as Cinna *heart flutters at his gorgeousness*), and Catching Fire looks like it is going to step it up quite a bit.

The Mortal Instruments by Cassandra Clare
I have just started the fourth book in this series and am hooked. I picked up the first four books again for a steal mostly because the film adaptation of the first book just came out and Lena Headey is in it (I love her!). This is a series for the slightly older crowd (13-17) but, again, is worth a read by anyone. There are some "typical" YA themes (girl caught in the middle of two boys, girl struggling to find out who she is, etc.) but with some really neat interpretations of the supernatural world. So yes there are angels, demons, werewolves, vampires, and fairies but Clare has created a refreshing take on them and their interactions; her secret/invisible world hidden in ours is cleverly done. I actually really liked the characters; much of the teenage angsty parts really spoke to thirteen year old me. It is part of a larger collection of series called The Shadowhunter Chronicles. I am definitely going to check out the "prequel" series to The Mortal Instruments, called The Infernal Devices, as it is steampunk (or at least steampunk inspired) and sounds pretty cool!

The Divergent Series by Veronica Roth
The third book in this series Allegiant will be published shortly - to say that this makes me very, very excited/giddy would be a huge understatement and never mind that the movie for the first book Divergent will hit theatres next year! *squeeeeeeee*. I love this dystopian series. The momentum that Roth builds with each books is heart pounding. I love the whole concept of the factions devoted to particular virtues and how they are each identified in terms of manner and dress. The characters are solid and interesting.

The Kane Chronicles by Rick Riordan
My husband bought this series for me as he knows I love YA fiction and ancient Egypt. What I really appreciated about this series is the amount of research Riordan did into ancient Egypt. This is not your typical pop culture interpretation of ancient Egypt - Riordan draws from solid archaeological evidence; he actually mentions the Narmer Palette! Of course it is a YA fiction series so there is a whole lot of fantasy going on in the books (the character of Horus drove me crazy).

I've recently picked up his Percy Jackson series but haven't had read it yet. If Riordan has drawn from the archaeological/historical evidence for this series as much as he did for the Kane Chronicles I do not think I'll be disappointed. I also want to note that I really dig Riordan's website; it has some great "Explore Mythology" and "Resource for Students and Teachers" resources.

A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket
This is a YA series tailored for adults. I cannot tell you how many times I laughed out loud at some of the wickedly clever things in these books. So much of the book drips in condensation and sarcasm. Kids will love them because of how silly they are at times and for some of the incredible situations the Baudelaire siblings get (or are forced) into. Adults will love the wry sense of humor and the whole backstory of the "author" himself. I really haven't read anything quite like them before. There is an element of the absurd similar to that in the works of Roald Dahl in them but they really are unique. There are 13 books in the series; all of which the author will encourage you to not read.

The Redwall Adventures by Brian Jacques
I have been reading the Redwall books since I received the first three on my 18th birthday but need to pick them up again as I've fallen behind. Jacques has written almost one book a year for this series since 1986. I love so many things about the adventures of the animal residents of the Redwall Abby: the detailed and delicious descriptions of the feasts, the wonderful poems and songs, the brave and heroic deeds of the smallest mice to the largest badgers, the fearsomeness and horrific deeds of the weasels and stoats. A warning: Jacques does not shy away from dark themes and events in these books. I was surprised at how quickly a lovely little picnic with mice and rabbits can be destroyed by death and fire.

Finally I'll wrap things up with a list of must reads that many people will already be familiar with:
- the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling (I'd be shocked if you haven't read them; if you are holding out only because you don't believe the hype then just get over yourself as they are as wonderful as you have heard over and over again).
- His Dark Materials by Phillip Pullman (Man I love this trilogy. It almost serves as the antithesis to C.K. Lewis' Chronicles of Narnia).
- The Chronicles of Narnia by C.K. Lewis (I'll never forget bawling my eyes out in the wee hours of the morning when I read the final book - devastating!).
- The Chronicle of Prydain by Lloyd Alexander (forget the horrible Disney adaptation of The Black Cauldron and read the whole series instead).
- The Dark is Rising Sequence by Susan Cooper.
- The Time Quintet by Madeleine L'Engle.

I'd even venture that The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit can be undertaken at a relatively young age if you have a really keen reader; I think I first picked them up around 11 or 12 and was read The Hobbit by my fifth grade teacher (last thing every Friday - he did voices for all of the characters!). Even A Song of Fire and Ice (a.k.a. The Game of Thrones series) could be picked up by a mature YA; I was reading Stephen King and Anne Rice at 11 and they both include a lot of sex and violence (to say the least) so it depends on your kid. Otherwise I'd, of course, highly recommend these even if they don't quite fit the YA category.

I cannot wait to share these books with my daughter as she grows so I can experience these wonderful tales again through her.

Let me know in the comments if I missed any!
 

Academic "Project" To Do List

I recently posted a Creative Projects To Do list to help motivate me to get them done. I realized that I need to do the same for some academic projects I have had sitting on the back burner as well. You'll note that most of these relate to writing, which is something I have always struggled with (*six years to do my PhD ahem*). I plan on tweeting my progress as a way to try to be accountable.

The (Academic) Projects:
- Update my World Prehistory (Anth219) course. I start teaching this again in the Fall so this needs to be done as soon as possible. Deadline: August.
- Update personal website. I would like to make all my conference posters and presentations available on my website. This requires some additional small projects: I will need to record my 2012 CAA Pecha Kucha style presentation, update course syllabi, update CV, etc. I do not need much time to do this so am setting myself a short deadline. I will also be scheduling reminders to update monthly. Deadline: End of September.
- Paper for the African Archaeological Review. This paper will also be based on my PhD work but will focus instead on the implications of my research for Africanists. Deadline: End of October.
- Research what it would take to get all of my lithic characterization data online. Deadline: November with goal of making this happen by this time next year (would like to coincide the launch of this for shortly after I publish).
- Paper for the Journal of Archaeological Science. Based on my PhD research, this paper will focus on the lithic characterization (mineralogy, petrography etc.). Deadline: End of January.
- Update my Introduction to Archaeology (Anth206) course. I will be teaching this in Winter 2014. Deadline: End of December.

I will be going back to work part time in February, once my parental leave is up, so I need to have all of these completed before then as I just don't think I'll have the energy to really crank out any significant work until that new work/stay-at-home mom routine is well established. Wish me luck! 

Creative Project To Do List

I am not super creative but I do enjoy taking on simple knitting and sewing projects. Before I had the babe I was constantly knitting and had even sewed a few projects for her nursery. I definitely do not have as much time for projects as I did before the babe arrived but I do have a number I am determined to get done. I am hoping by making my To Do list public I'll actually follow through on them. I will also try to post on their progress and maybe even do a tutorial or two (if I remember to take photos during the process).

The Projects:
- Baby blanket and matching sweater. My brother and sister-in-law are having their second at the end of September/beginning of October. I knit blankets and sweaters for all the babies in my family so this is a must to-do. However, I'm giving myself a little slack on this one. Sweater Deadline: September 21st. Blanket Deadline: December 25th.
- Knit dolls x 5. I also try to knit dolls for the babies in my life. I have been doing a Batman series for my nephew so have another one to do for him. I would also like to knit a doll for my daughter - I'm leaning towards Indiana Jones for hers. The new niece or nephew will also get one as will two other family babies that have not yet received theirs. I'm giving myself two deadlines to correspond with birthdays and Christmas. Deadlines: November 12th December 25th.
- Birthday Banner. Inspired by my dear friend The Deliberate Mom I would like to sew a Happy Birthday banner for my babe. Deadline: February 2nd.

I may add additional projects as I go but the ones currently listed are definitely my top priorities. I have a closet full of yarn and a giant bin full of fabric - all I need it the motivation to crank out some projects.

Biittner's Book Review: Let's Explore Diabetes with Owls by David Sedaris

This was an odd read. I'd read Sedaris' work before. I describe Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk in my 2012 books read post as "kind of silly", which is not a negative thing for me, so was interested in his latest book. It is a collection of story stories or "essays". Honestly I cannot figure out if I liked it or not. I get that it is really tongue-in-cheek at times and outright sarcastic and/or nasty at others, which is usually something I can appreciate, but for this book the overall tone just did not do it for me. I am thinking that this is because I read the whole thing over a single afternoon. I think I might have been able to appreciate the subtle nuances between each essay had I read only a couple a day. All the essays just started to feel the same by the end of the book. I definitely did not pick up on the "common thread" of each essay being a "love story" as described on the book jacket. So it is not that I did not like the book, maybe I just read it wrong.

Some of the essays are just better than others though. I quite liked "Understanding Understanding Owls"; it is dark and funny and lovely at the same time. "#2 to Go" and "Rubbish" are also really good. The ones about his father and siblings just fell flat for me. Some of the essays felt out of order; the last couple are probably the weakest and I was hoping for a strong finish.

In terms of recommending this book I would but with some hesitation. Not everyone is going to like it. Again I'm not sure if I even liked it. I am very curious to see what the rest of my book club has to say about it and may post an update after we've had the chance to discuss it. 

Biittner's Book (and Film) Review: Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell

A little late on this one (again!) but I really wanted to write a bit about this book and the recent film adaptation. I actually saw the movie first and enjoyed it enough that I wanted to read the book so put it forward as one of my book club selections.

 I was curious with how the book dealt with the multiple story-lines versus how they were interwoven in the film. The book creates a wonderful narrative arc (or rainbow as it were). It starts with the "oldest" story-line and by midpoint has reached the one that takes place, presumably, in the most distant future, then works its way back through the various stories to connect/tie them all together. Overall Mitchell is very successful in crafting a very wonderful, descriptive, and complex lesson in redemption while still managing to keep everything very clear. This was one of the major criticisms of the film: that it was confusing. I think part of this is that in the book you are provided with the characters names, which clearly lets you know who you are dealing with, while in the film the names of the various characters are often "lost". I failed to catch many of them but for me this was not an issue. I actually found the threads that link all the stories together easier, in some ways, to detect in the film because of how each actor played their various incarnations throughout all the story-lines. I found it really compelling and, honestly, just plain fun to figure out who played each character in each story. The make up to transform the actors was really cool and you must watch the credits to really appreciate how many characters each actor played.

What this all means is that I think the film and the book go really well together. I am actually glad I saw the film and read the book. They each made me appreciate the other, which I think is a first! I am curious if I would feel the same way had I read the book first then saw the film. In any case, I highly recommend the book and encourage those who enjoy it to check out the film too. 

Mommy & Baby Must Haves

My baby is now four months old (!!!) so I thought I'd share some of the "must have" items that got us through those first few months.

For Mommy:

- BioOil: I have very sensitive skin. I use Aveno products almost exclusively but during pregnancy BioOil was the only thing that would truly sooth my dry and very itchy skin (our cold and very dry Edmonton winters did not help). I still ended up with some pretty good stretch marks so I cannot say it was a successful product in reducing those, but again it did provide some much needed relief.

- Lansinoh Lanolin: My baby is exclusively breastfed. I was lucky - the babe latched on easily and took to it very well. However, a lack of sleep during those first few nights meant I wasn't always as diligent in making sure that she latched on correctly. This led to some pretty sore nipples. Our Public Health Nurse recommended this product and it was amazing. 

- Johnson's Nursing Pads: I tried out a number of different types thanks to some friends giving me their leftovers but found that these ones are by far the best. They are soft and smooth (don't look crinkly). 

- Cover Boo Couture Nursing Scarf: I love my Cover Boo scarves! I did not want to wear something that looked like an apron or over-sized bib when breastfeeding but did want to use some sort of cover. The Cover Boo scarves definitely satisfied everything I was looking for! They provide excellent privacy when feeding; I love how they cover not just my front but also my sides and back. They are easy to wear and use with baby. I find I can comfortably hold the babe on either side and switch sides with no problems or "slips", and the babe can move her arms and fidget without risk of exposing more than I am comfortable with. Plus they are extremely fashionable and are available in tons of great fabrics, colours, and patterns. A gorgeous one just came out in this year's colour (emerald!) and I'm tempted to buy it! I'll seriously continue to wear mine as just a scarf after I'm done breastfeeding as I get tons of compliments when I wear them. Finally, they are designed and manufactured in Canada (by a local yeg mom extraordinaire)!

- Baby's First Journal: I bought one of these from Glowbaby. It is such a great tool for keeping track of feedings, diaper changes, and naps. I found it was really helpful because you will be asked questions about these at appointments. 

For Baby:

- Penaten cream: Many of my mommy friends, my mom, and my mother-in-law all recommended this product and I totally get why. When my poor babe had a diaper rash caused by a bad diaper brand (too perfume-y and plastic-y for her sensitive toosh) I used some penaten and the rash cleared right up. We continue to use it at the first sign of a rash (many use it at each diapering) and will continue to keep it around in the future.

- Kushies Change Pads: We have two deluxe flannel change pads and think they are excellent. They are soft, durable, and easy to wash. Unlike other brands we tried, these did not lose their integrity after many washings (the "waterproof" backing on one brand cracked after just two washes even though we followed the instructions). They are large (20" x 30"); our four month old comfortably fits on one so we do not have to worry about her having an accident while we are changing her. I know we will continue to get good use out of them until she is out of diapers.

- Jacque the Peacock by Lamaze: My babe loves her Jacque! She received it as a gift and it is her "go to" toy. It has so many different colours, patterns, and textures. It is crinkly, rattles, and has a squeeker. She loves to grab onto his wings and chew on his beak. It is super cute to see her "wrestle"with him.

- Fisher Price Discover 'N Grow Kick and Play Piano Gym: This is our babe's other favourite toy. She loves it when we sing along to the songs as she "plays" them and loves grabbing and pulling and sucking on all the dangling objects or just staring at the beautiful girl in the mirror. The mat is easy to wash and durable.

Some general tips:

- Spit up cloths: Buy tons! There is no such thing as too many spit up cloths. I keep them in every room.

- Diaper "station" basket: I filled one of the baskets I brought back from Tanzania with spit up cloths and diapers. This basket goes with me and the babe as we move around the house. I have boxes of wipes and Kushies change pads in the rooms we frequent the most. I find this is really convenient as I can change the babe right then and there rather than having to move her to a change table in another room (or even on another floor).

- Newborn clothes: This is more of a tip than a "must have". We were given a bunch of clothes before the babe was born. I assumed because we had some outfits that were 0-3 months that they would fit my babe at birth; I was wrong. At 6lbs 9oz my babe was too small for all most all of the 0-3 month pieces we had. We ended up having to buy a bunch of newborn (6-8lb) clothing and some of it was pretty big on her. I would highly recommend that you have at least a sleeper or two on hand just in case you have a small babe; make sure you go shopping for this well in advance as we found it pretty hard to track down this small clothing.

I hope you find some of these recommendations useful. Any others I missed?

Please note that all of these recommendations are my own. I did not receive any compensation for them.

Biittner's Book Review: 419 by Will Ferguson

Our May book club selection was the 2012 Scotiabank Giller Prize winner "419" by Will Ferguson. This was an excellent read. On the surface this seems like a story about a daughter trying to find answers following her father's death. However, it is much more complex than that. The story shifts back and forth from Calgary to Nigeria (and other parts of West and Northern Africa), and shifts between the perspectives of various characters on both continents. Ferguson crafts some elegant parallels, the two major ones are the rich Oil fields of Nigeria and the big business Oil capital of Canada (Calgary), and two women who have isolated themselves from their kin for very different reasons who both eventually make their way to Nigeria.

It was really interesting to learn more about how the "419" scam works - who hasn't received a spam email message from an individual seeking aid and offering great financial reward? - including the reasons a young man may become a "Yahooboyz" and the contempt that is felt towards the "Mugu".

As a side note: I loved the references to Nollywood; Nollywood films were quite popular in Tanzania when I was last there, and my friends all had their favourite actresses and directors.

The overall tone is very melancholic. It is a bleak story of lies and loss, which seems to offer no happy resolution for any of the characters. That said, I would highly recommend this fantastic read by a great Canadian author.