Heart Full of Ink

A Girl, A Ghost, and An Alchemist's Apprentice

4:15 AM

There's Antimony, Arsenic, Aluminum, Selenium...

5:19 AM

Summary of The Disappearing Spoon: And Other True Tales of Madness, Love, and the History of the World from the Periodic Table of Elements By Sam Kean

The periodic table of elements is one the most important scientific achievements. Spanning hundreds of years, the history of the elements and how they've been discovered and used by humans features tales of poisons, medical miracles, obsession, betrayal, and progress. From iodine, to radium, to gallium, to thorium, and each one in between, this book explores all the elements and the scientists who devoted their lives to them.

Review

This is a first for me. I've never read and reviewed a nonfiction book before because, well, I'm a fiction loving gal at heart. I love learning about new things, but, when it comes to reading for pleasure, there's nothing quite like escaping into a fantasy world.

I first saw The Disappearing Spoon in the gift shop of Chicago's Museum of Science and Industry (one of my all-time favorite museums I've visited. If you haven't been, I highly recommend it). At the time, the title intrigued me but not enough for me to buy it then and there, though, to be fair, I rarely pick up a book I haven't read and immediately buy it. I am more the type of person who will check a book out from the library three or four times and then buy it because I'm sure I like the book.

Anyway, I made it a goal of mine a few months ago to read more nonfiction books. To that end, I plan that for every ten books I read one of them will be non fiction. So, The Disappearing Spoon has the honor of being my first non fiction book I've read for pleasure.

Since I'm not entirely certain how to review a nonfiction book (for instance, how do you avoid spoilers when almost everything in the book is something most people wouldn't know without reading it?), I'm going to talk in broad terms about what I liked about this book. As a story person, I loved reading all of the stories behind how different elements were discovered and used, and the harmful effects some of them can have. Some of my favorite parts of the book were the chapter on poisons, the amusing tale about the disappearing spoon (where the title of the book comes from), and the life stories of women scientists. The author, Sam Kean, also did a good job of explaining everything so that I, someone who is not a chemist and only has a high school level understanding of elements and how they interact with each other, could understand and appreciate the science behind the elements. The only time I got a little lost was when he started talking about Einstein and the uncertainty principle of quantum mechanics.

Some of the chapters I found to be more interesting than others. I could've skipped the chapter on how elements have affected design. I couldn't care less about an expensive, fancy looking pen and what element was used to skyrocket it to fame.

I read this book periodically (sorry, couldn't resist the pun). Reading non fiction is different from reading fiction. It took me longer to finish this book than it takes me to read most fiction books. As I mentioned before, I like going to museums and learning new things, but at a museum I do it in chunks. If an exhibit doesn't interest me, I move on to the next one. So, it's no surprise that I spread out my reading of this book, though I did try to read the chapters in order and not skip around (you can get by fine, in my opinion, if you do choose to mix up the order in which you read the chapters). As for the goal of non fiction reading, learning something new, this book was a success. Granted, I might not retain all of the information--anyone who can remember all the different elements and stories in this book would have quite the impressive memory--but I will remember a few of the interesting stories and be able to regale them to anyone I meet.

I'll leave you with a song by the great Tom Lehrer.

If you have any nonfiction books you think I'd enjoy, please comment below with the title and author.

Up Next

The next book on my list is Liesl and Po by Lauren Oliver.

Magical Mix-Ups, Mistakes, and Hi-jinx

2:40 PM

Summary of Howl's Moving Castle

Sophie Hatter is the eldest of three sisters and so believes she is doomed to fail if she should ever leave home for an adventure. While toiling away in her stepmother's hat shop, Sophie unknowingly makes an enemy out of the Witch of the Waste, an evil witch whose territory no one dares enter. Sophie soon finds herself under a spell which turns her into an old lady. On the road to visit one of her sisters, Sophie discovers her frail, old body won't carry her to her destination before dark. About to resign herself to sleeping on the side of the road, Sophie spots the puffing chimneys of Howl's moving castle and decides to seek shelter there despite the rumors its owner is heartless.

Determined to break the enchantment which has transformed her into an old woman, Sophie strikes a deal with a fire demon who promises her that he will break the spell in exchange for freeing him from his chimney prison. While handling the heartless Howl and trying to unravel the clues leading to both her and the fire demon's freedom, Sophie begins to realize there's more to herself, and Howl, than meets the eye.

Review of Howl's Moving Castle

I'd seen Howl's Moving Castle on several different lists of best fantasy books, but, for whatever reason, I didn't pick it up when I was younger. I am so glad I've finally read it! Though the book had more of a children's type feel to it, rather than YA, I devoured the book and found the characters to be endearing and the plot highly enjoyable. Overall, the book reminded me a bit of Gail Carson Levine's writing (one of my favorite authors when I was growing up).

Sophie and Howl were my two absolute favorite characters in this book with Calcifer, the fire demon, running a close third. At the beginning of the book, Sophie believes that she's nobody special and sort of plods through life doing as she's told. Once she's turned into an old woman, she discovers she has a backbone and enjoys flexing it. I loved watching Sophie become a powerful, young (though still old in her physical appearance) woman who meets adventure head on. Howl also develops as a character as the story progresses. Dressed in flamboyant suits and constantly wooing young ladies until they've fallen in love with him, whereby he quickly moves on to the next girl, Howl definitely doesn't make a good first impression. He is a character which you will grow to love by the end of the book. Finally, Calcifer (whose name I love) seems to be a grumpy fire demon but is really an old softy at heart. Author Diana Wynne Jones crafted some wonderful characters who will remain dear to my heart.

So, if you're looking for a book with memorable characters in a land where magical mix-ups, mistakes, and hi-jinx are all part of a day's work, read Howl's Moving Castle. I'm confident you'll be glad you did.

Now that I've read the book, I'll be sure to check out the film version as well which has also been highly recommended.

Up Next

The next book up for review is The Disappearing Spoon by Sam Kean.

A Place Ain't a Place Without a Bookstore

4:41 AM

Summary of The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry by Garbielle Zevin

A. J. Fikry is a cantankerous independent bookstore owner who wishes to live his life alone in misery after the death of his beloved wife. His book sales are abysmal, and the only comfort he takes is from the knowledge that he can sell a rare collection of Poe poems in order to stay afloat. Then, much to his dismay, the book of Poe’s poems is stolen. A. J. thinks all hope is lost until he discovers a mysterious package left in his bookstore, and its unexpected arrival gives him the chance to begin his life anew.

Review

I purchased The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry during a layover on my trip back from the Dominican Republic. One of my traveling partners recommended the book to me, and seeing as I enjoyed the last book she suggested (The Rosie Project) I decided to buy it to read on the plane.

This is the type of book that any book lover will find hard to dislike. Set in a bookstore, the cast of characters are chock full of people who either love to read or learn to enjoy reading through their connections with other characters. As a person who truly believes there is a book, magazine, blog, newspaper article, etc out there for everyone, I was delighted to read a book with characters who share my passion for the written word. There were plenty of literary references I recognized sprinkled throughout the novel and still more I was unfamiliar with altogether. I found myself jotting down book titles and names of short stories to check out as I was reading.

As you may have noticed from my other reviews, I value well-written characters. The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry did not disappoint. The main character, A. J., develops throughout the story from a depressed widower with a snooty attitude toward almost all genres save literary fiction to a loving man who broadens his view of literature and life through the people with whom he forms relationships. I warmed to A. J.’s character just as the people of his community did.

Another character I enjoyed was Amelia “Amy” Loman, a sunny sales representative from Knightley Press publishing who comes to A. J.’s store to sell him books to stock his store. She is wonderfully optimistic though realistic, and I liked reading about a character who had a bright outlook on life that contrasted with A. J.’s depressed view at the beginning of the book (we could use more people like Amy in the world). My one bone to pick with Zevin in regard to Amy’s character would be that Amy didn’t seem to have any flaws.

The pacing and plot of the book were well done; each new section of A. J.’s life was introduced by short little reviews A. J. wrote of various short stories. These reviews further developed A. J.’s character and gave the reader a small preview of what to expect in the forthcoming chapters.

The writing was engaging, although I found the present tense narration a bit jarring when I first began reading. I’m so used to reading past tense narration that at first I found it difficult to get into the story. However, after a few pages, I became accustomed to it. I still prefer past tense narration, but the present tense narration didn’t detract from the overall writing.

In conclusion, I found The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry to be like a cup of hot chocolate on a cold winter day: warm, full of hope, and comforting. It renewed my love of books and bookstores. As one of the characters in the book said, “A place ain’t a place without a bookstore.”

Coming Soon

The next book on my list is Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones.

Watch Me Write Cursed NaNoWriMo

2:33 PM

The Dead Never Rest

8:35 AM

Summary of The Archived by Victoria Schwab

16 year old Mackenzie Bishop is a Keeper; she works to make sure Histories stay in the Archive. A History is a sort of ghost or copy of a dead person's life. The Archive is an enormous library where the Histories are kept. Most histories are peaceful, but every once and a while, a history wakes up and escapes from the Archive into the Narrows (tight, long corridors with hundreds of doors). Whenever a History escapes into the Narrows, it is the job of a Keeper to track it down and return it to the Archive before the History crosses from the Narrows into our world, the land of the living.

Shortly after her younger brother's death, Mackenzie and her family move into an old hotel turned apartment building called the Coronado. Her parents claim it will be a fresh start for their family, but it turns out to be anything but for Mackenzie. The number of Histories she has to hunt down increases faster than she can send them back to the Archive. Once she takes care of one History, two more are added to her list. As she works to solve the mystery of a series of strange deaths that took place at the Coronado, Mackenzie comes to realize that someone working in the Archive is releasing violent Histories and is trying to erase other Histories altogether.

Review

I think it is necessary to make a few disclaimers before I give my review of this book.

Disclaimer #1: I am a new teacher and tried reading this book during the school year. As I'm sure any teacher will tell you, especially fellow English teachers such as myself, it is sometimes difficult to read for pleasure during the school year. Therefore, if I'd read this book when I had more time to do so, I may have enjoyed it more.

Disclaimer#2: Young Adult books have been my go-to genre since I was ten or eleven. I have a list of young adult authors whose books I know I will enjoy. Unfortunately, I think I have read too many young adult books. Now, I know what you're thinking. There's no such thing as reading too many books. You're right. However, there is such a thing as reading so much of a particular type of book that they become predictable and less fulfilling to read. I believe I have reached that point when it comes to young adult fiction. Does this mean I am going to stop reading young adult fiction? Probably not. As I said before, it's been my home in both libraries and bookstores for more than a decade (also, I have yet to find my niche in the adult fiction section). I just thought I should mention my current feelings toward the young adult genre so you can take my review of this book with a grain of salt. If I had read The Archived when I was still in high school, you'd probably be reading a much different review. All right, now that I'm done with the disclaimers, on to the review.

The cover was definitely what caused me to pick up this book. It's cool and spooky looking and draws the eye. Once I read the description, I added it to my list of books to check out from the library. I enjoy reading books which explore what happens to people after they die.

The premise of the book is original and creative. I liked the idea of Keepers having to track down escaped Histories.

Overall, I liked the idea behind the story but didn't care for the execution. To begin, the narration is told in a nonlinear fashion. Now, normally, this isn't a big issue for me as a reader, especially if it is done well. However, I didn't care for it in this book. The narration goes back and forth between what is happening to Mackenzie in present day and conversations she had with her grandfather (a fellow Keeper) when she was eleven. I realize that Schwab probably used this narration device to avoid info dumps, but I just didn't care for it stylistically. Another aspect of the writing that I found troublesome while reading was the fact that the time Mackenzie spent in the living world and the Archive was unbalanced. It seemed like Schwab only used the real world as a place for Mackenzie to hang out until she could go back to the Archive. Finally, there's the issue of romance. Now, as I said before, I've grown a little weary of young adult books. Lately, it seems like every young adult author thinks it is necessary to have a love interest for the main character, and in some cases, like The Archived, the main character is given more than one love interest. I like romance just as much as the next girl, don't get me wrong, but it would be nice to have a change of pace and read a young adult book where the main character, especially if it is a female protagonist, faces other challenges than deciding between two different boys.

So, to conclude, this book was not my cup of tea. I had a hard time finishing it because it wasn't holding my interest. It is not a book I plan to read again nor would I recommend it. However, don't take my word for it. If this book sounds of interest to you, go ahead and read it. Comment below and let me know what you thought of it.

Coming Soon

Up next on my list is The Storied Life of AJ Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin.

Heart Full of Ink

A Girl, A Ghost, and An Alchemist's Apprentice

There's Antimony, Arsenic, Aluminum, Selenium...

Magical Mix-Ups, Mistakes, and Hi-jinx

A Place Ain't a Place Without a Bookstore

Watch Me Write Cursed NaNoWriMo

The Dead Never Rest

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