The LJ/School Library Journal/Junior Library Guild staffers are back in the spotlight again after a week off for BookExpo America (BEA) fun and frolicking. Here’s what we’ve been up to, book-wise, with some BEA finds, an oldie-but-still-goodie, an amusing audiobook, octopuses, sentient airships, mad hausfraus, unrequited love, and even a giveaway (see Henrietta Verma’s WWR write-up below for more details).
Mahnaz Dar, Associate Editor, SLJ Reviews
I am diving into the murky world of the octopus, with Sy Montgomery’s The Octopus Scientists: Exploring the Mind of a Mollusk (Houghton Harcourt). I’ve learned so much about these creatures. They evolved superior intelligence compared with most mollusks because they don’t have protective exterior coverings (like clams, for instance), which means they rely solely on their wits. Also, they have distinct personalities. But what I enjoyed most of all was learning that they can form bonds with humans. You haven’t lived till you’ve had an octopus hug!
Liz French, Senior Editor, LJ Reviews
I finally took Jill Alexander Essbaum’s Hausfrau (Random) off my TBR shelf last week. I’m sticking with it despite an initial misunderstanding about the sex scenes. (Let’s just say I came for the “mind-blowing sex” and stayed for the artistic merit.) Essbaum does a great job of conveying mental instability, despair, displacement, and ennui, and she indulges in a fair amount of wordplay—Swiss, German, Swiss-German, and English ones—in her first novel (she’s a published poet and this shows in her prose). The descriptions of Zurich and surrounding suburbs and the American-born heroine’s interactions with the Swiss are excellent. I wonder what my friends from Suisse would think of this book.
Molly Hone, Editorial Assistant, JLG
I’m currently listening to audio of Steven Campbell’s Hard Luck Hank: Screw the Galaxy (self-published on Amazon). I quickly added the series to the top of my TBR list on the recommendation of a relative—which came complete with an impression of Liam Owen’s hilarious narration. The audio experience is as enjoyable as I thought it would be—this guy makes me laugh just by introducing the chapters—but so is the content. I love a good sf romp that doesn’t take itself seriously, and this fits the bill. Hank is a robust mutant who acts as a “gang negotiator” on a space station filled with seedy and corrupt characters; unsurprisingly, he’s consistently named an influential member of society by the station’s only news source. Things get complicated when the station is attacked and a rare level-ten mutant arrives. I highly recommend this one for sf fans with a sense of humor, whether you want to listen or read.
Amanda Mastrull, Assistant Editor, LJ Reviews
This week, I started reading Will Walton’s YA novel Anything Could Happen (PUSH: Scholastic), which I heard about at BEA. The book is about Tretch Farm, a closeted 15-year-old who has secretly fallen for his best friend, Matt. Complicating this is that Matt is straight, so his crush is destined to be unrequited. There are some sweet moments as Tretch, even though he’s jealous, tries to be happy for Matt when the girl he likes also likes him back. One of those moments:
I see happiness I want so badly, and while he holds her arm as they make their way down, whispering things that cause her to laugh, I think, Amy Sinks, you stole him, even though I know that’s not true. It’s not like I’ve ever even had a shot, but still—
Maybe, in my head, I thought that it might someday be possible.
And I might, in my head, somehow still believe that it is.
So I’m sorry, Amy and Matt, if I can’t really want this for the two of you. Matt hops the last few steps and spins around to face her. “Ta-da!” he calls out, the magician of the moment. But just know that I will try. I will sure as hell try.
Meredith Schwartz, Executive Editor, LJ
I just finished Ian Tregillis’s The Mechanical (Orbit), the first book in “The Alchemy Wars” series. I highly recommend it if you like steampunk, but also if you like stories of rebellion against slavery and injustice, or alternate history. There’s also a sentient airship, which is hard to beat.
Henrietta Verma, Editor, LJ Reviews
At BEA, I picked up a copy of Paula Rizzo’s Listful Thinking: Using Lists To Be More Productive, Highly Successful, and Less Stressed (Viva Editions). Rizzo, a TV producer, explains that she’s a glazomaniac—a person who is obsessed with making lists. Her book describes various types of lists that can help you to get organized, how to make efficient lists, and how such rosters can change your life. Mainly, she says, it’s important to list everything you have to do, no matter how small. That way it’s not swimming around in your head anymore and you can have a sense of accomplishment as there will be lots of things crossed off quickly. I must say, it’s working for me. I’ll pass on my copy to the first glazomaniac-wannabe who asks; just drop me a line at @ettaverma on Twitter or email me at hverma@mediasourceinc.com. Rizzo’s on Twitter, too, at @listproducer. Her website listproducer.com also offers lots of tips and templates for, you guessed it, lists.
Ashleigh Williams, Editorial Assistant, SLJ
When a rerelease of Rita Mae Brown’s Rubyfruit Jungle (Bantam) showed up on my desk unannounced, I was pretty thrilled. I’ve seen it listed numerous times as part of LGBT literature canon, so I had high expectations. Well…while Rubyfruit’s protagonist is refreshingly radical for her time (essentially deeming herself an unapologetic lesbian by age 12 or so), her trajectory so far has been frenzied to the point of disbelief. Life-changing events take turns at breakneck speed, leaving the reader feeling as though Brown skimmed over some of the knottier details of growing up painfully poor, ambitious, and queer in the South during the late 1950s. That said, the quick pace paired with Molly’s wild determination to remain true to herself make this a thoroughly entertaining and affecting read.
