March Reading
- Toys Go Out: Being the Adventures of a Knowledgeable Stingray, a Toughy Little Buffalo, and Someone Called Plastic by Emily Jenkins, will illustrations by Paul O. Zelinsky (117 pp.)
- Some Rain Must Fall by Michael Faber (263 pp.)
- Household Tales of Moon and Water by Nancy Willard (76 pp.)
- Blood Bound by Patricia Briggs (292 pp.)
- The Books of Magic: Reckonings by John Ney Rieber, with art by Peter Snejbjerg, et al. (graphic novel)
- The Troll with No Heart in His Body and Other Tales of Trolls from Norway retold by Lise Lunge-Larsen, with woodcuts by Betsy Bowen (96 pp.)
- Varjak Paw by SF Said, with illustrations by Dave McKean (255 pp.)
First came Toys Go Out, borrowed from corey13. This children's book reads more like loosely-joined episodes, revolving around the same three characters, than like a single story. The moods vary between silly and sweet, and the light writing and distinct characters' voices would make it really fun to read aloud to kids.
The Troll with No Heart in His Body is another good read-aloud book...which only makes sense, given that the author/adapter is an oral storyteller. I already knew versions of a few of these stories (namely, "The Three Billy Goats Gruff," "The White Cat in the Dovre Mountain," and "The Eating Competition"; others were unfamiliar.
The third children's book on the list is Varjak Paw, the story of a cat who discovers "The Way of Jalal" -- the philosophical and martial teachings of his ancestor. At first it seemed just a fun and silly read. As I kept on, though, the plot became darker. There are some downright creepy scenes. (A caveat to anyone who may wish to purchase this book: the first copy I bought had a printing error, with pages 33-64 missing, replaced by duplicate pages 65-96.)
I really enjoyed the stories in Faber's Some Rain Must Fall, particularly "The Tunnel of Love" (about a romance that blossoms between jaded sex-industry workers) and "Nina's Hand," the protagonist of which is a body part, rather than a person. Others -- such as the title story and "Fish" (inspiration for the cover art) and "Accountability" -- are quite unforgettable.
Household Tales was my introduction to the poetry of Nancy Willard, and I'd definitely read more. She writes elegant verse about everyday sights and experiences, thereby showing how beautiful and valuable they are. While I was less fond of the last grouping of poems ("My Life on the Road with Bread and Water"), I really enjoyed the book as a whole, and the nature images and poems (e.g., "Mushroom") in particular.
Blood Bound is just as fun as Moon Called, the first book in Briggs's "Mercy" series. (Once again, I was less than thrilled with the cover art. However, I now have a better understanding of the artist's and industry's perspective, having had the opportunity to address this with both the author and her editor at ConBust this past weekend.) The protagonist and supporting characters are as interesting as they were in the first novel, and the plot as engaging; I read the book in a day and a half. While Moon Called deals mainly with werewolves, Blood Bound shifts the focus to vampires. The upcoming book, Iron Kissed will turn to the fae. (And I'm sure that heathersbike, for one, will be thrilled to learn that Briggs already has a 4th "Mercy" book in mind and hopes for more to follow.)
I really enjoyed The Books of Magic: Reckonings. It's more fully realized than Summonings, I think, and I felt closer to the characters. I'll continue with this series as well.