Lari's Bookshelf

I just got a gorgeous book delivered to my door today. I've mentioned how awesome Craig Thompson's Blankets was in a post about graphic novels , well today, I got his latest work, Habibi published by Pantheon Publishing this month. I'm so stoked. Can't wait to read this sucker and review it for you all.

Banned Books Week started yesterday. I always love this time of year because it reminds everyone that it is always important to be vigilant against censorship, and strive to maintain access to all information within a free society. Here is some information on the most frequently challenged books in the 21st century. That's right folks, in a so called "free society" there are people who think that they have the right to deny other people access to materials they don't like reading. The following is the top ten list for 2010 : And Tango Makes Three , by Peter Parnell and Justin Richardson  Reasons: homosexuality, religious viewpoint, and unsuited to age group The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian , by Sherman Alexie  Reasons: offensive language, racism, sex education, sexually explicit, unsuited to age group, and violence Brave New World , by Aldous Huxley  Reasons: insensitivity, offensive language, racism, and sexually explicit Crank ,...

Rot & Ruin by Jonathan Maberry Release Date: October 5th, 2010 Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing Pages: 458 ISBN-13:  9781442402324 Wow. This book. Wow. I don't even know where to begin. At first, I didn't know what to expect. Sure. I read the publisher's description. Benny Imura, just another teen coming of age in a post apocalyptic world. Right? Kind of. Yes. But this is not just some cliche YA thriller/horror. This has some real substance to it. The book doesn't rely on the icky-zombie-gross-factor to keep the reader invested in finishing the story, not that there is anything wrong with that, but there was more to this novel than a horde of zombies and a collection of desperate survivors trying to figure out how to get by in a crazy new world. This book is about relationships between people. Especially the relationship between Benny and his brother Tom. See, Benny hates Tom. He thinks he's a coward. He remembers Firs...

The following books are some on my "to-read" list that I'm particularly excited to read. The Sleepwalkers   by J. Gabriel Gates "A chilling and masterfully crafted teen horror novel guaranteed to keep the pages turning, the mind reeling, and the lamp on any reader's bedside table on long after midnight. Privileged and popular Caleb Mason is celebrating his high school graduation when he receives a mysterious, disturbing letter from his long-lost childhood playmate, Christine. Caleb and his jokester friend Bean decide to travel to his tiny hometown of Hudsonville, Florida, to find her. Upon arrival, they discover the town has taken a horrifying turn for the worse. Caleb's childhood home is abandoned and his father has disappeared. Children are going missing. The old insane asylum has reopened, and Christine is locked inside. Her mother, a witch, is consumed with madness, and Christine's long-dead twin sister whispers clues to Caleb through the static...

Okay, so a lot of people say that e-readers never will replace print because they just, well, love paper books so much. I get it. When I get a new hardbound book and crack open the cover for the first time, the smell is intoxicating. I swear publishers put some kind of drug in the book binding glue to make it so addictive. But I also love my e-reader, and have been using it more and more... and in some cases, I'm preferring it over some paper books (because it isn't as heavy). Also, in June 2011, adult paperback books plunged 64% from last year, while e-book sales went up 161 percent . This suggests that while many hardcover books are still being purchased (though it dropped 25 % in the same month), people who just want to read a book for the sake of the words, and not the format (i.e. paperback readers), are starting to gravitate towards e-books. Libraries have growing digital collections, and some libraries have already started lending e-readers . I think in the future,...

This week, I wrote about some techie stuff and had a typical censorship rant and shared some books about girls in captivity. Here is the rundown of this week's posts: Rating Systems, Censorship, and I CAN'T SHUT UP Google Chrome Goodreads Button Young Girls in Captivity | Wednesday Reads Mango is Now Mobile New Symphony of Science Vid and "The Grand Design" If you are a new follower, please visit my " About " page to learn more about me and the blog. Q. Have you ever wanted a villain to win at the end of a story? If so, which one? I know some may hate me for saying this, but Bella. Hands down. I couldn't even get through New Moon . The inane whining over Edward drove me nuts, and I was just rooting for some vamp to come tear her throat out and do a favor to all humanity. I'm sorry but she is probably the worst protagonist to become a household name in the history of writing. Vacant, and without any motivation other than being some dude-...

Those of you, who know me, know that I am a sucker for science-y things. I'm even more of a sucker for science-y, auto-tuned things. So when I found out there was a new Symphony of Science video, I nearly squeed myself to death. If you haven't seen the other Symphony of Science Vids, I'm so sorry for you. Get up to speed right now. Some of my favorites include: We Are All Connected , Poetry of Reality , The Unbroken Thread , and  A Glorious Dawn . But really, they all are pretty much brilliant. I probably account for half of all the YouTube view hits. The thing I liked about the latest one is that it reminded me of what I learned about in one of my fairly recent reads, The Grand Design by Stephen Hawking and Leonard Mlodinow. In it, the authors write a lot about particle wave duality , and how the structure of the universe on a grand scale seems to operate under different laws than the cosmos on a quantum scale. It was amazing. They talked a lot about ...

Libraries and library users love  Mango . I'm not talking about the fruit, but the awesome learning program that allows English speakers to learn a foreign language, and gives non-native English speakers access to valuable ESL courses. These services aren't free and libraries invest a lot of money to give their patrons access to these online courses. That is why many will be pleased to know that you can now download and install a free app on your smartphone that will allow you to use and access Mango, well, pretty much anywhere. Mango Mobile Before you'll be able to use this app, you will first have to set up a Mango Language account through your library's website using your library card number. If you've already done this, great! Once you have done that, do the following to get Mango on your mobile device: 1. Go to your app store, and search for "Mango Languages". 2. Select, download, and install "Mango Languages Library Edition."...

Today, I'm highlighting books about girls meeting the challenge of having everything, even their rights as a human, stripped from them. These books are about girls in captivity or slavery of some kind or another. The thing I appreciate about all of the following books, is that they are based on real experiences girls have faced in the past, and even today. While the African slave trade among European and American colonists is history, and World War II concentration camps are over, there are countless girls still caught in international sex trafficking rings  around the world , as well as girls being brainwashed to be plural wives to men much older than themselves in the United States. Each of these books has a protagonist with a unique background, but they all battle the challenge of oppression. Copper Sun by Sharon M. Draper "Amari's life was once perfect. Engaged to the handsomest man in her tribe, adored by her family, and living in a beautiful village, she ...

Do you love Goodreads ? Are you a Chrome user? Then check out this pretty spiffy app I happened to find today. It adds a Goodreads button to book sites, allowing web users easy access to the book's Goodreads page. It was pretty simple to install. 1. In Chrome, hit CTRL+Tab to open a new tab. 2. Click on "Web Store" under Apps. 3. In the upper right side of the Chrome Web Store page, search for "goodreads". 4. Select "Goodreads Button - Kynetx for Google Chrome" in the search results. 5. Click "Add to Chrome" and select "Install" when you get the pop up. 6. This is what your browser window should look like upon installing it successfully. And you're finished! Goodreads Button on Amazon See? Easy as selling organic food to a hippie. Now, next time you are on a book site like Amazon or Barnes & Noble, you can access Goodreads from every book product page. I'm looking forward to better mana...

I've been participating in a discussion online regarding teen books and profanity. I believed the premise of the discussion was based on a false dichotomy, and therefore, a lot of things that were said started to make my spidey senses tingle that censorship lurking was lurking somewhere in between the lines. The question posed at the beginning of the discussion was this: Profanity in Books? Necessary or Bothersome? A false dichotomy is when someone is presented with an idea and only two choices on how to act or think. Now while the original poster (who I much appreciate for starting this discussion) commented that she did indeed find some profanity in books as "necessary." However, I disagree. For instance, from my point of view, to have a book, it isn't NECESSARY to have profanity. Necessary adj. Required to be done, achieved, or present; needed; essential Sure, a book could artistically be better off or a character could be better developed with profa...

Am I mad about Rover? Not at all. Sure he barked at late hours of the night, but he was a good dog. Am I mad the tiny, old woman next door poisoned him with tainted dog treats? Of course not. In fact, I’ve shown her my good will by making her a delicious cake. I left it at her front door for her birthday. I may have left a note saying it’s from a relative, but that doesn’t change the fact that it’s made with sugary goodness . . . . . . and d-CON © .  By Lari For Chuck Wendig's Flash Fiction Challenge: 100 Words on the Subject of Revenge 

If I was a hipster, I'd be having major second thoughts towards my affinity of steampunk. The fact is, it's popping up EVERYWHERE. I still like it a lot, and find the detail and imagination that comes with victorian science fiction beautiful. Here are some videos that incorporate this fantasy element. The first is my favorite. It's modern with a traditional celtic flare. Magical to the very core. The next is more "pop."  The only thing I see about this one is that it is basically a regular modern pop song wearing steampunk clothes (if you don't include the 'mystical' sounding beginning and the mystical story in the video). Still cool, but not as cool as "The Islander." When it comes to films. There are quite a few that are also laden with steampunk-i-ness. There's a trailer for an upcoming Holme's inspired film here . And then, there's that dark, dramatic, subtle science fiction, The Prestige (based on the book ): ...