Farrow's Books for 2011

The Year in Review

She's a witch! Burn her!

Sir Bedevere: What makes you think she's a witch?
 Peasant 3:Well, she turned me into a newt!
 Sir Bedevere: A newt?
 Peasant 3: [meekly after a long pause] ... I got better.
Crowd: [shouts] Burn her anyway!
         -Monty Python and the Holy Grail 1974


Talk about educating America and people for that matter. Where was that philosophy in 1692 (or 1940 for that matter)?

This book was a fascinating mix of fact and illustrations. Rosalyn Schanzer did a great job of finding out the facts and statistics of the events and victims (on both sides) of this horrible misfortune. Her illustrations add a creativity to the story that pulls a reader into the descriptions of abuse from the accusers.

Dramatic courtroom scenes are described throughout the book, like this dramatization, "Oh minister, she wanted me to sign the devil's book, and she's pinching me now!" (while at the same time, the child is pinching herself). Accusers were also found to have pins to prick themselves tucked into their sleeves.

What kills me about this story is that real people were stupid enough to believe the words (lies) of children. Like people actually turned into spirit form and mounted poles just to poke and pinch people. As a result 200 people were accused, 20 were executed, and 4 died in jail awaiting trial, sentencing, or just because they couldn't pay their way out. One girl came forward to admit she had lied and she was accused of being a witch in league with the devil.

Sounds a little familiar doesn't it? By the time World War II had ended as estimated 8,861,800 Jews had lost their lives in the holocaust. All because of someone's lies, propaganda, and personal agenda.

Or maybe today when people (still) discriminate because of another person's race, color, religion, or sexual orientation, need I go on?

Anyway, moving on. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in historical fact. you get a lot of background on the accusers and the accused, as well as their fates. This would also make for a great book report for a middle school reader. Hope you enjoy this book as much as I did and if not, happy 'hunting' for a new one. 

Beware the toaster...

When I first saw the cover of this book I kind of thought it was a joke, you know, a science-fiction book with a comedic twist. As soon as I started reading it I found out my assumption had been wrong. This book is set in the not to distant future and begins at the end of the New War with the artificial intelligence that called itself Archos. A soldier, Cormac, is exterminating the last of remaining bots when he comes across a strange machine. He quickly discovers that this square machine contains a record of the entire war, collected by Archos itself. Cormac decides to make a written record of major events and people so that future generations can see how close humankind came to the brink of destruction and how they fought and clawed their way back.

This book is set up almost exactly like 'World War Z' in that each chapter is an isolated event in the overall build-up and eventual war. There is a core of five or six characters and you leap-frog through their experiences. The book was really good but the dis-jointed nature of the stories made it hard for me to read it for very long periods of time. However, it wouldn't be too long after I put it down that I would be itching to reach for it and read through the next chapter. The 'beware the toaster' comment is just a joke, there are no man-eating toasters in the book. The machines I would never think of though, that killed thousands, were cars. Smart cars, or any car with a computer in it, were used with devastating effectiveness by Archos. Kind of made me think twice when I got into my car this morning.

When kids fail to have fun.....

So what do you do when you realize your kid doesn't know how to have fun and would rather rip apart a great song to show it's non-existent rationality? You expose them to more crazy behavior!

Friday, I checked out the 'Aladdin' soundtrack, which happens to be one of my favorite Disney soundtracks on the planet. My husband, myself, and our thirteen year old daughter are jamming to 'Friend like Me' when our six year old questions one of Genie's lines. While singing, he asks Aladdin "Can your friends do this. Can your friends do that? Can your friends pull this out of their little hats?" So she asks/says matter of factly, "Why does he (Genie) ask him (Aladdin) that? He should know he doesn't have any friends." To which my four year old son replies, "He has a monkey!"

So Genie is the coolest person Aladdin knows now, so what, I figure that Aladdin can say "yes, my friend can do that, 'cause your the guy!" What happened to the good old days when kids didn't read between the lines of lyrics or words and just enjoyed a song for what it is? So here's to hoping my daughter doesn't decide to ask what "Well tonight thank God it's them, instead of you" means because trying to explain that piece of trash lyric will take quite a bit of time that I don't currently have on this page. Happy Monday!

Random thoughts...........

On Christmas day, after you have unwrapped all the presents and goggled down the feast with the family, you should go see a movie. The trailer for the new movie "The Darkest Hour" just came on the television and this thought rolled through my head.

What better way to say Peace on Earth and Goodwill to Man then watching a movie about the end of the world!

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Run for your lives...

I've always lived by the motto "Don't annoy the crazy person" and its worked pretty well over the years here at the library. Tonight however, I must have done something our favorite person didn't like because she tossed money at me and then asked my name, first and last, as she walked out. Maybe its because I tried to remind her that she had to pay for everything she copied, even if it didn't turn out right. I think I should have just let it go. If you see me making a bee-line for the workroom, now you know why.

Anything But Vampires

I don't know about you but I'm tired of vampires or anything else paranormal. Every once in a while I just want a book with normal people and a normal story. While the characters in this book were normal people, the story was definitely something different. Eleanor is sixteen, rebelling against her parents, into drinking and drugs....and pregnant. She waits to long to have an abortion even if she wanted to, and now has gotten herself married to her boyfriend and baby's father even though she doesn't even know if that's what she wants. When the summer starts she moves with her husband to her in-laws weight-loss summer camp. She's told she has to be a counselor but she knows nothing about dancing or crafts. To top things off, marriage is not all she expected it to be.

Throughout most of the book I hated Eleanor. She was stubborn and whiny and only thought about herself. She begins to learn how to care about, or at least be aware, of others around her while living at the camp. Of course by the end of the book she comes through but I'll let you read it for yourself to see why.

Trying Something Different

I read a short synopsis of this new YA book in the BWI magazine and found it intriguing. I gave it a try and I can certainly say it is different from anything I've ever read. Jennifer, or J as the character likes to be called, is a girl who has grown up believing that she was really meant to be a boy. She refers to herself as he through out the whole book. J is confused and struggling though, because at seventeen he can no longer easily hide his female aspects. He dresses in baggy clothes and wears two sports bras in an attempt to hide his breasts. He tries to get by with speaking as little as possible because his feminine voice gives him away. His is best friends with a girl named Melissa but he knows he's really in love with her. And this was one of the hardest things for me to wrap my head around. J recoiled at the idea of being called a lesbian. He didn't see himself as gay. He loved Melissa as a man loving a woman. One night though, J goes to far and tries to kiss her. This sets off a downhill journey as J tries to run away and find a way to become what he's always felt inside.

Like I said, this was a very different book with a very different view point. While I don't fully understand it myself, I'm glad we have it in our collection.

Is nothing sacred anymore? (Christmas edition)

Putting aside the fact that Justin Bieber has ruined a pretty decent Christmas song, this video is just a little over the top for the holidays. As if her slutty Santa outfit and red lingerie weren't enough, Mariah still feels the need to feel herself up at 3:34 in the video. Watch it. Yea, you saw that right.

Jessica Rules the Dark Side

Yes!!! It's about time Beth Fantaskey put out a new Jessica book! And we only have to wait until Jan. 10, 2012 to read it!! I discovered the first book "Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Darkside" while serving as a reading tutor. I'm such a dork, that I really liked their struggle and love story in the the first. Lucious is a ruthless jerk that is determined to mold Jessica into what he wants and she is a head strong vegan who refuses to be made into a puppet. 

In this book, she has to help rule a kingdom she knows nothing about and has to get Lucious off a murder charge before he dies.  I can't wait (but I have to so I guess I will. Boo). I'm so excited I may have to find an Orange Julius to celebrate!

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children

After Obsession

I really enjoy books that take you on a wild ride of "What just happened here?" kind of action and boy does this book deliver. "After Obsession" is based in Mass. where our heroine, Aimee, has supernatural powers that are never fully explained and our hero, Alan (who is the new guy from OK and looks different from all the 'palefaces), taps into his Navajo culture (even though his mother thinks it's a lot of hooey) to try to save the day. They must try to save the town from the River Man who has been kidnapping and ripping apart citizens for at least 100 years.

The plot was good, characters were thought out and there was foreshadowing in this book. My problem was with all the unanswered questions. Where does River Man come from, how do you invite him in, why does Aimee have powers, why did I read this book? Just kidding, I liked that we get Navajo culture in this book. We see a spirit walk and learn about spirit warriors, it's all very fascinating, but we never learn where Aimee or her mom learned or inherited their abilities. (Which by the way is very frustrating).

I would recommend this book because it shows what can happen will you allow a thought or idea to possess you when you obsess over it. It does have two curse words it in, which is a whole lot better than most YA out there today. I definitely liked Alan the best in this book because of the courage and responsibility he shows when it comes to helping others out. I think it's also been set up as a series, so don't obsess too much over the next novel, as I could totally be wrong on that account.