Go Ask Alice

by Anonymous

I picked up this book to read and release in honor of Banned Books Week. It has been one of the most challenged books of 1990-2000.

This book is the diary of a teenager who gets caught up with drugs and struggles to free herself both from the drugs and from the stigma of having been part of “that crowd”. This is an excellent book, even 30 years after it’s first publication, and can certainly speak to teens of today. However, the book does not answer any questions, but should instead be used as a springboard for communication about drugs and their dangers.

I’m not sure why this book has been challenged so much, since it does not glorify drug use. I suppose it also talks about how great a high can be, which could make drugs more attractive; however, if anyone actually reads the whole book, including the epilogue, they will understand that the dangers far outweigh the highs.

A note from Snopes: this book is actually written by Beatrice Sparks, an author who has written several books, all purported to be true stories, about teens who’s lives are ruined by drugs, pregnancy, sex, etc.

Hole in the Wall Books (II)

We biked up to Hole in the Wall Books again today. We didn’t have very much time last Thursday, since we needed to get back to the car before it got too dark, so we decided to head out again today and take our time at the bookstore.

The ride feels shorter and shorter each time that we do it. Today, like Thursday, I actually made it up the big hill going east just after the Beltway. But today, unlike Thursday, I also made it up that same hill going the other way. Whoo Hoo!

Our destination:

After we got back, Groom Bear, in the back seat of the car, felt the need to be protected from my driving:

The Ruby in the Smoke

by Phillip Pullman

Sally Lockhart is a 16-year-old girl in Victorian London whose father was recently killed in a sinking ship while away on business. He sold his share of his business before leaving, leaving Sally with very little of what she thought she’d have coming. A note from a man with her father shortly before he died sends Sally on a quest, racing against an evil woman and the man responsible for her father’s death.

I quite enjoyed this book, the first I’ve read by Pullman, and am looking forward to reading the other books in the series.

Becoming Human

by Valerie J. Freireich

The Harmony of Worlds recognizes three levels of humanity. The full humans have all rights and may participate in the government. Altered humans, those genetically altered in some way, also have all rights, but are excluded from being part of the govering body. Then there are the toolmen. The toolmen are men and women genetically bred for one of three specific purposes — the subs perform menial labor, the guardians guard, and the probes spy and project outcomes of government votes and schemes.

Alexander is perhaps the best probe ever created. In the course of his work, however, he betrays the Electors. Alex is subsequently “put down” to protect the secrets of the Electors, rather than facing a complete (and deadly) mind probe at Security.

Years later, Alexander’s clone, August, must struggle with his clone/brother’s reputuation. His existence is largely kept secret, and so his life is secluded and lonely. However, when his existence becomes known to the Delegate most immediately hurt by Alex’s betrayal, August’s life becomes all-too public.

Not a bad read; however, it felt under-developed. I had a bit of trouble getting into the story, though I will certainly look up Freireich’s later works.

Angels & Demons

by Dan Brown

Robert Langdon, world-renouned symbologist, awakens one morning to a summons to CERN to analyze a symbol branded on a murdered scientist’s chest. This leads Langdon on a wild chase through the Vatican and Rome in search of the Illuminati, an ancient, secret sect of scientists with a grudge against the pope.

I don’t normally read thrillers, but the physics elements of this drew me in. I look forward to reading Langdon’s further adventures.

Witch Child

by Celia Rees

This book is the fictional diary of teenager Mary Newbury, chronicling her journey to the New World. Her journey, however, is precipitated by her grandmother’s conviction as a witch. A mysterious woman wisks Mary away from the public hanging, and sends her to Southampton where she will join up with a group of Puritans heading for America. Mary acts the part of a good Puritan girl, but has been brought up as a witch…a wiccan, not the wart-nosed, evil incarnation of a witch on Halloween night.

This was an easy read, since it was geared toward teenagers, however I quite enjoyed it. I liked how Rees set up the scenes, in particular the cramped, smelly ship crossing the ocean.

Booklovers

A few notes for booklovers:

• I don’t think I’ve mentioned Bookcrossing except in passing on this Blog. Bookcrossing is a cool website where you can track the travels of books. First you register a book and put the unique Bookcrossing Identification number (BCID) inside the cover with a note pointing toward the Bookcrossing website. Then, you “release” the book. The release can take many forms: pass it on to a friend who would enjoy the book, leave the book on a park bench or in a doctor’s office waiting room, donate it to a library book sale, sell it to a used book store, or even trade with other Bookcrossing members on-line.

  Once out of your hands, it’s best to forget the book. Hopefully, at some time in the future, you’ll get an e-mail that your book has been journalled by someone else. This is a huge thrill, especially with “wild releases”, i.e. those that you don’t directly put into someone else’s hands.

  My first wild release that was journalled was Galileo’s Daughter by Dava Sobel. I released it in the St. James Hotel lobby in Red Wing Minnesota, and it was picked up and journalled by a woman from Somerset Wisconsin. She has since re-released it in Hawaii.

  I have now tracked some of my books to Senagal (The Alienist by Caleb Carr) and Maylasia (As Nature Made Him by John Calapinto). Check out my bookshelf to see where my books have travelled, and join up yourself…tell them rhombitruncated sent you.

• For you science fiction, fantasy and horror book lovers, you have got to check out sf-books.com, a site I discovered through Bookcrossing. It’s a book trading site that costs you nothing to join. List books that you’re willing to trade with other members, then when you send one out and it’s recieved, you get a credit that you can use to request a book from another member. This involves a bit of trust, but I have yet to lose a book or credit, and the webmaster will make things right if someone stiffs you.

  There are traders from all over the world, so you can set which regions you’ll trade with. Within the US, it only costs about $1.50 to send a book if you use the “media rate”. Most members don’t mind if you use the slowest, cheapest method for shipping, since it’s silly to spend more on shipping than you would on a new or used book. Plus they all have to-read piles just as large as yours.

  You can see what books I have up for trade on my sf-books.com profile page. If you sign up, tell them rhombitruncated sent you!

• Powell’s Books is holding a contest for book lovers. It’s an essay contest on your most memorable reading experience in the last 10 years, and the prize is $1000 in books from Powells. They’re taking submissions until August 31….I still need to write mine! (Thanks Suzanne for bringing the contest to my attention!)

King’s Blood Four

by Sheri S. Tepper

Life is a game of strategy. Literally, in the world that Tepper has created here. Gamesmen use pawns much as they might be used in chess — they are easily sacrificed in play in favor of a more powerful position. Children of Gamesmen study the game rules for 25 years, and during the last few of those years, their Talent starts to evolve to determine what position they will occupy (king, wizard, healer, etc.).

Fifteen-year-old Peter, still studying in school, finds himself suddenly “in play” during Festival, a time when anything goes. To protect him, the schoolmaster sends Peter and two of his friends to another school far, far away. However, Peter soon discovers that once he’s in play, it’s difficult to get out of the game.

All of Tepper’s skills at weaving a story and creating interesting, sympathetic characters are present in this novel; however, while reading it I felt that her writing just wasn’t as fully developed as in other books I’ve read by her. The book was a bit thin, and I felt that there could have been more development. However, after doing an Internet search, I found that this was, indeed, her first novel. Not bad.

With These Words…I Thee Wed

by Barbara Eklof

This is a small book of suggested vows for weddings of all sorts. For the most part the vows were all either too cheesy or too simplistic or too sickenly sweet. However, there were a few bits and pieces with sentiments that I liked an may end up using.

Dreamsnake

by Vonda N. McIntyre

Snake is a healer on post-apocalyptic Earth. Healers in those days use serpents in their healing. The genetically-modified diamondback and cobra can be drugged to produce venom to heal most conditions. The rare dreamsnake can ease a patient’s suffering, and in cases where the it will ease their passage into death.

During her proving year, Snake travels across the desert where few (any?) healers have visited. However, the tribe that summons her is fearful of snakes, knowing only of desert snakes with deadly-poisonous venom. In their ignorance, they kill her dreamsnake.

Snake feels crippled without the dreamsnake, but knows that there is already a shortage of dreamsnakes, so there is little chance of her receiving a second one. Rather than returning to the healer’s home, she embarks on a quest to find a dreamsnake.

McIntyre creates strong characters into a page-turning story. I enjoyed this one about as much, perhaps more, than her The Sun and the Moon.