Glow and NY-LON
TV Quote (from The Big Bang Theory):
Stuart the comic store owner: Can I help you find anything?
Amy: A comic that depicts a woman whose bosom can't be used as a floatation device.
Books:
Title: Glow (Sky Chasers)
Author: Amy Kathleen Ryan
Year Published: 2011
Rating: ***
Ages: 12 and up
Format: Read in eBook format on Nook for Droid
Fifteen-year-old Waverly Marshall and 16-year-old Kieran Alden are the oldest children of the survivors of a damaged Earth and have lived their entire happy lives on the Empyrean spaceship while it travels to their new planet. Though now Waverly is starting to feel a lot of pressure from the rest of the ship to marry young and start having children, even though she's not sure she's ready. Then something terrible happens and Waverly and Kieran must fight for their lives.
I loved all the sci-fi details and the tense action. Unfortunately, towards the end, the story shifted from sci-fi action-adventure to a story about religion. The religious stuff is handled clumsily and is likely to offend both people of faith and Atheists alike. That's too bad because when religion wasn't front and center, I enjoyed Glow.
[Parent Note: This book would make for a good discussion about reproductive issues and ethics since a large portion of the plot of Glow is about fertility and reproductive issues.
There are some ugly stereotypes about both religious people and Atheists in the book. People of faith are vilified as either power-hungry or sheep-like followers and Atheists are portrayed as having having no spirituality or moral clarity to keep them motivated in times of crisis. The tired old wives tale about there being no Atheists in foxholes is trotted out in this story as well. The link to the Military Association of Atheists in Foxholes will be happy to explain to everyone that, yes, there really are Atheists in foxholes.]
TV:
NY-LON - (*** 1/2) This TV romance between a New York City bohemian and a London banker aired in 2004 and is now available on Hulu. It stars Stephen Moyer (Bill Compton from True Blood, with his British accent) and Rashida Jones (Ann Perkins from Parks and Recreation). It's not a perfect show, but if you like romance stories about the bohemian world of Lower East Side New York City or stories about London, you might enjoy this short 7 episode show during the holiday TV repeat season. There is a lot of squabbling between the main characters and it's clear the show thought it would get a second season and didn't, so the end is a cliffhanger. Still, I enjoyed the characters and all the fun New York and London details. Available on Hulu with a free account (since the show is rated for mature audiences only).
Stuart the comic store owner: Can I help you find anything?
Amy: A comic that depicts a woman whose bosom can't be used as a floatation device.
Books:
Title: Glow (Sky Chasers)
Author: Amy Kathleen Ryan
Year Published: 2011
Rating: ***
Ages: 12 and up
Format: Read in eBook format on Nook for Droid
Fifteen-year-old Waverly Marshall and 16-year-old Kieran Alden are the oldest children of the survivors of a damaged Earth and have lived their entire happy lives on the Empyrean spaceship while it travels to their new planet. Though now Waverly is starting to feel a lot of pressure from the rest of the ship to marry young and start having children, even though she's not sure she's ready. Then something terrible happens and Waverly and Kieran must fight for their lives.
I loved all the sci-fi details and the tense action. Unfortunately, towards the end, the story shifted from sci-fi action-adventure to a story about religion. The religious stuff is handled clumsily and is likely to offend both people of faith and Atheists alike. That's too bad because when religion wasn't front and center, I enjoyed Glow.
[Parent Note: This book would make for a good discussion about reproductive issues and ethics since a large portion of the plot of Glow is about fertility and reproductive issues.
There are some ugly stereotypes about both religious people and Atheists in the book. People of faith are vilified as either power-hungry or sheep-like followers and Atheists are portrayed as having having no spirituality or moral clarity to keep them motivated in times of crisis. The tired old wives tale about there being no Atheists in foxholes is trotted out in this story as well. The link to the Military Association of Atheists in Foxholes will be happy to explain to everyone that, yes, there really are Atheists in foxholes.]
TV:
NY-LON - (*** 1/2) This TV romance between a New York City bohemian and a London banker aired in 2004 and is now available on Hulu. It stars Stephen Moyer (Bill Compton from True Blood, with his British accent) and Rashida Jones (Ann Perkins from Parks and Recreation). It's not a perfect show, but if you like romance stories about the bohemian world of Lower East Side New York City or stories about London, you might enjoy this short 7 episode show during the holiday TV repeat season. There is a lot of squabbling between the main characters and it's clear the show thought it would get a second season and didn't, so the end is a cliffhanger. Still, I enjoyed the characters and all the fun New York and London details. Available on Hulu with a free account (since the show is rated for mature audiences only).