"Waiting On" Wednesday: The Pack by Jason Starr

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

This week's "Waiting On" Wednesday selection is:

The Pack

By Jason Starr

Publish Date: June 7, 2011 by Ace Hardcover

From Amazon.com~

When Simon Burns is fired from his job without warning, he takes on the role of stay-at-home dad for his three-year-old son.  But his reluctance pushes his already strained marriage to the limit.  In the nestled playgrounds of the Upper West Side, Simon harbors a simmering rage at his boss's betrayal.  Things take a turn when he meets a tight-knit trio of dads at the playground.  They are different from other men Simon has met, stronger and more confident, more at ease with the darker side of life- and soon Simon is lured into their mix.  But after a guys' night out gets frighteningly out of hand, Simon feels himself sliding into a new nightmarish reality.  As he experiences disturbing changes in his body and his perceptions, he starts to suspect that when the guys welcomed him to their "pack," they were talking about much more than male bonding.  And as he falls prey to his basest instincts, Simon must accept that werewolves exist if he is to turn the tides of his fortune...

This sounds like a great supernatural thriller, and it's so rare that I read books from a male point of view.  I'm curious to know how Starr will portray the werewolf mythology in his novel and also to see what Jason will do to turn his fortune around.  Since I haven't read any of Starr's novels before, I think I'll wait until my library obtains it for the collection. 

What are you waiting on this Wednesday? ^_^


Special Side Dish: Be sure to check out the Giveaway at Books Beside My Bed!

Review: Toads and Diamonds

Title:  Toads and Diamonds
Author:  Heather Tomlinson
Summary:  Diribani has come to the village well to get water for her family's scant meal of curry and rice. She never expected to meet a goddess there. Yet she is granted a remarkable gift: Flowers and precious jewels drop from her lips whenever she speaks.  It seems only right to Tana that the goddess judged her kind, lovely stepsister worthy of such riches. And when she encounters the goddess, she is not surprised to find herself speaking snakes and toads as a reward. Blessings and curses are never so clear as they might seem, however. Diribani's newfound wealth brings her a prince--and an attempt on her life. Tana is chased out of the village because the province's governor fears snakes, yet thousands of people are dying of a plague spread by rats. As the sisters' fates hang in the balance, each struggles to understand her gift. Will it bring her wisdom, good fortune, love...or death?

The Dish:  I admit sometimes I can be shallow when it comes to selecting my books from the library or the bookstore.  They always say never to judge a book by it's cover, yet that is often what really catches the eye of the readers.  A more attractive cover will usually yield more pick-ups than a plain cover.  That was the case with Toads and Diamonds when I first saw it on the New Books Shelf in the YA part of our collection. It also helps having the book on display as it was where a person can really notice the cover, and the first thought invoked was 'What a beautiful picture.'  I had to know what the book was about.

The story is told through the points of view of Diribani and Tana, two stepsisters who practically behave as though they were truly related sisters.  In most fairy-tales, we knows that usually in the case of stepsisters, one  is usually kind and good while the other is cruel and wicked.  Not so in this case for despite Diribani's beauty and grace, Tana adores her as a true sister.  And Diribani does not allow Tana's intellect and skill with jewels, a trait Tana shared with Diribani's father, to cause a rift between them either.  Ma Hiral, Tana's mother, loves and wants the best for both girls even after her husband is killed.  I adore this about all three characters because, although this story has the familiar fairy-tale ring to it, they break the stereotypes of their so-called roles.

What also intrigued me about Toads and Diamonds was the unique and exotic setting of a fictional Indian country.  I haven't read any books that take place in India, so this was something different and also enjoyable.  Tomlinson created a world in which the twelve gods do participate in a more physical means, particularly that of Naghali, the Snake.  It is Naghali-ji, as she is referred to by believers in the Twelve, that turns Diribani and Tana's lives upside down though in quite different ways.

 Can you imagine having flowers and jewels drop out of your mouth every time you spoke?  Personally, I'd be afraid of thorns or diamonds poking my throat, but that is Diribani's blessing from Naghali-ji.  Then there is Tana's blessing which most would probably feel is more of a curse.  Each time she speaks, frogs, toads or snakes come out of her mouth, and in most cases, it doesn't seem so bad, but when a venomous snake appears, it can be troublesome indeed.

After the sisters' gifts are discovered, Diribani is taken with the prince's visiting party back to Fanjandibad, where he resides in order to keep her from being taken advantage by the local province's governor.  Tana is told it would be wise to leave their village because the governor is terrified of snakes, so their family is torn apart with each sister going in a different direction.  Both Diribani and Tana feel there is a meaning behind the gifts of Naghali-ji, and each undertake a solitary journey to find these reasons.  On their respective paths, both Diribani and Tana are able to see the lives of the people of the Hundred Provinces on totally opposite ends of the spectrum, yet both sides present troubles for the girls.

Although she is surrounded by the prince's people, because their faith is different, it is as though Diribani is alone in a sea of white-coats who believe in a single god.  Tana decides to take a pilgrimage to find her purpose with this gift but is soon diverted after a raid upon an artisan village leaves all the people captured and taken prisoner, including her beloved Kalyan, a jewel-trader friend of her family's.  All the while they are separated, their thoughts drift towards the other and both wonder if they shall ever see their sister again.

Overall, I loved this story with its exotic setting and delightful characters.  Tomlinson has a way with words that take you into the story that I hope any readers would appreciate.  I'd recommend Toads and Diamonds to any readers who enjoy updated or revamped fairy-tales or readers fascinated with books that take place in an Indian locale.

One Librarian's Journey

Title:  The Night Bookmobile

Author:  Audrey Niffenegger

Summary:  The Night Bookmobile tells the story of a wistful young woman who one night encounters a mysterious disappearing library on wheels.  This library includes everything, and only everything, she has ever read.  Seeing her history and most intimate self in this library, she embarks on a search for the bookmobile.  But over time her search turns into an obsession as she longs to be reunited with her own collection and therefore, her memories.

The Dish:  The Night Bookmobile is the first book I've read by Ms. Niffenegger, and it is a rather different type of graphic novel.  From the outside, it looks like a picture book one would find in the Children's Section of the library, but the story within is deeper than one expects.  Niffenegger is a rather unique storyteller, and she does tell a marvelous and touching story, one that not only librarians but anyone who loves books will hopefully appreciate in some way. 

Alexandra, the narrator, is walking about the city of Chicago one night and comes across a rather out-of-place Winnebago in the street.  Curious about it's appearance and the fact that the lights are on, she approaches it and the person in the driver's seat allows her entrance.  This Winnebago is actually a Bookmobile of sorts, but not just any Bookmobile.  When you first see the amount of books inside, it fills almost the entirety of the Winnebago.  This actually reminds me of a drawing by an artist I encountered at the Jazz & Arts Festival in Denton.  It is a one-point perspective drawing of a library that seems to go on endlessly, and if any library could represent one that adds more and more books to it as the reader reads, it would be within this piece.  Below is sort of an example of one-point perspective in a library; I would rather not show the drawing itself without a link to the artist's webpage.

For anyone who is searching for something or has ever felt the need to search for that something that seems to be missing in their life, I would recommend this graphic novel.  The story does have its sad points, but I hope that readers would find some peace in reading the end. 

Graphic Friday: The Stuff of Legend Book 1: The Dark

Title:  The Stuff of Legend Book 1: The Dark

Author:  Mike Raicht and Brian Smith

Illustrator:  Charles Paul Wilson III

Summary:  The year is 1944.  As Allied forces fight the enemy on Europe's war-torn beaches, another battle begins in a child's bedroom in Brooklyn.  When the nightmarish Boogeyman snatches a boy and takes him to the realm of hte Dark, the child's playthings, led by the toy soldier known as the Colonel, band together to stage a daring rescue.  On their perilous mission they will confront the boy's bitter and forgotten toys, as well as betrayal in their own ranks.  Can they save the boy from the forces of evil, or will they all perish in the process?

The Dish: When I first saw the cover, I was curious by what a walking teddy bear would be doing in an adult graphic novel.  Like most people who enjoy graphic novels, I would believe a teddy bear (especially one that can move about) would be in a juvenile or children's graphic novel.  So automatically, I wanted to know more about the storyline.  Max, the teddy bear, is one of many toys owned by a boy in 1944 Brooklyn.  It is at night that dark tendrils come out of the boy's closet, snatching and pulling him inside.  We later learn that the tendrils belong to none other than the Boogeyman himself.  Why he wanted this particular boy is not explained, but I'm confident there will be much more to that story when Book 2 comes out.  

It is when a group of eight toys and the boy's dog, Scout, led by the boy's current favorite toy only known as the Colonel enter the Dark that readers see the transformation of the toys into more realistic forms.  Max becomes the size of a grizzly bear, the Colonel, the Indian Princess, the Jester within the Jack-in-the-box, and the dancing doll Harmony all appear human-sized with human bodies, Percy the piggy bank is changed into a real pig wearing pants, and Quakers a wooden duck becomes a real duck.  It is my guess that this is either a show of the Boogeyman's power or the power of the realm of Dark itself.

Also, I thought it interesting that Wilson chose to keep all of the pages in sepia tones rather than full color.  Perhaps it is reminiscent of wartime in which so many things were considered too precious to be used so freely, or maybe it establishes the time period in a sense that most printed material was only available in these tones.  No matter what the means, I believe it does show the grave situation that the small group of toys are in and reflects the seriousness of what is transcribed in the story.  

This kind of story is definitely not an average children's tale even though it involves a child's toys and possessions.  It makes me remember when I and my friends would play out whole stories with our toys, even battles and fights just as this Brooklyn boy did.  The Stuff of Legend will make you think again about those stories and battles involving children's toys and imagination.  I eagerly await the release of The Stuff of Legend: Book 2.

What toys or books do you remember as being your favorites to play with or read as a child?

Dramatic, Delightful and Dorky Dialogue

Title:  Dork Diaries-Tales from a NOT-SO-Fabulous Life

Author:  Rachel Renée Russell

The Dish:  Middle School.  Sometimes it can be just as bad as high school, if not worse.  And if you’re the new kid in town, it can be disastrous if you make the wrong first moves.  Meet Nikki Maxwell, and this is her life.  The daughter of a pest exterminator, Nikki has been given an opportunity to attend Westchester Country Day Middle School thanks to a scholarship through her father’s bug business.  It’s not that she isn’t thrilled with the prospect of going to a new school, but there are standards that she must maintain as a fourteen-year-old girl.  Her first week doesn’t go so well and she has already attracted the annoyance of the most popular girl in school, MacKenzie Hollister.  What’s a new girl to do?  Write and draw about her days in school in her diary.

After reading not one but two reviews about Rachel Renée Russell’s Dork Diaries on Unshelved.com, I was intrigued by the story and had to check out the first book.  It was the cover that really jumped out at me because it almost has the look of a graphic novel.  Nikki is just like the average middle school girl, wanting to fit in with the CCP (that’s Cute, Cool & Popular) crowd while also catching the eye of that secret crush.  And the readers are able to see just what every day is like for her through her diary.  Unlike other “diary novels”, Russell takes Dork Diaries further than merely a story told through a diary: 1) it appears as though Nikki has actually handwritten the entirety of the story, adding a more realistic feel to the story and 2) as she is an artist, Nikki also draws little scenes from her daily experiences just to illustrate (pardon the pun) the points she tries to make regarding her thoughts. 

Nikki’s life is full of what nearly every fourteen-year-old has.  There is the ultra-popular girl who everyone caters to just so they might be included with the popular crowd.  There are the “dorky” friends who make life much more bearable in an otherwise annoying existence, even though they can sometimes make it unbearable at times.  And there is, of course, that one guy that just makes the day even better just from talking with him.  All of the pieces add to the puzzle that is the life of a young teenager, and without any of those elements, life just wouldn’t be “normal.”