Far and Near: On Days Like These

Far and Near: On Days Like These by Neil Peart

Neil Peart rode his motorcycle between venues while touring with Rush. He planned out trips to visit national parks as well as explore various parts of the world. He would seek out the back roads as much as possible. (Sometimes he would even luck out and get people to open gated off logging roads.) GPS may or may not help him. He would always travel with riding buddies and had trucks to carry the bikes in as part of the tour. (He needed to make sure he made it to the concerts.) He had various experiences, both good and bad. Some people recognized him as the drummer for Rush, while many did not. He rarely brought it up on his own. (Though one case where many people bonded together to help, he did go out and offer them tickets.) 

This book primarily has essays regarding his motorcycle tours, though there are a few from other travels and experiences (such as with cars). He uses it to detail his philosophy which sometimes appears directly as some of his songs. The philosophy may not always be externally consistent. (He criticizes the attempts by southern Christians to limit other's rights by limiting abortion, while also criticizing them for not limiting rights by not mandating helmets.) Despite disagreeing with some viewpoints, he takes an open view to the people and situations that occur. He is much more interested in the experience. He loves the streets that nobody goes down unless they live there. He enjoys the small towns and the unique experiences that differ from cookie cutter suburban life. It would be fun to be able to explore areas the way he did. He had both the freedom to go anywhere along with the support to make sure it happened, yet also had time and location constraints that forced moving on. I wonder if somebody has consolidated the locations and roads mentioned for a tour book.

The Secret of the Old Clock (Nancy Drew, Book 1)

The Secret of the Old Clock (Nancy Drew, Book 1) by Carolyn Keene

This is the first Nancy Drew book. Nancy is the daughter of a lawyer and has a bad relationship with some snobbish girls. She helps uncover a robbery ring in the city and then leads to the discovery of the missing will of a rich man in town. Previously, the family of the snobs was set to inherit all. However, with the new will, the wealth is spread around to many people in town as well as charitable organizations. The snob family gets only a small pittance, leading to their ruin. The story is slow moving at first, and feels like it is trying to be a teen drama. Then it eventually shifts to detective mode and reaches a decent conclusion.

The School for Scandal

The School for Scandal by Richard Brinsley Sheridan

The LA Theatre Works dramatization includes an insightful interview at the end that discusses the art of radio acting as well as the career of the playwright. Sheridan had a very short but influential career penning plays. He did not view himself as a playwright and moved on to politics after a short time writing plays. 

The play itself is a comedy of manners. People spend a lot of time poking fun of and criticizing others. These people are primarily gossips who hatch plans to ruin others. The bad behavior backfires and eventually everyone seems to get their just rewards. The humor is such that it can be easily grasped without understanding the plot.

You Can't Scare Me!: Goosebumps Classics, Book 17

You Can't Scare Me!: Goosebumps Classics, Book 17 by R.L. Stine

A girl is not scared of anything. She holds bees and other animals that cause other people to scream. Other kids try to find something that would scare her. Everything they try ends up backfiring. Finally after hearing that she believes in monster, they hatch a plan to have some older kids act as "mud monsters" to scare the girl. At night they all gather to watch the girl as they see some mud monsters approach. Then the older kids show up. When everyone realizes they are real mud monsters instead of the actors they all scream in horror. The book is fairly grounded in reality until the very end when it takes the supernatural twist.

 

Escape from . . . the Titanic

Escape from . . . the Titanic by Mary Kay Carson, illustrated by Nigel Chilvers

This historical fiction account of the titanic follows two adolescents that are on the Titanic. One is an American girl returning from visiting extended family in Ireland, while the other is an Irish boy working as a bell boy. There are various sidebars discussing the "real" events on the ship, including the movie star that starred in a movie related to her onboard experiences shortly afterwards. It felt very similar to the story in the famous Titanic movie. In addition to identifying some of the causes of the sinking and loss of life, it also brings out the anti-Irish sentiment that was common in America at the time. It is a decent dramatization of the Titanic experience, even if it is not very original.

The Other Merlin

The Other Merlin by Robyn Schneider

This is a telling of the King Arthur story with modern sensibilities. Emry Merlin is the daughter of Merlin and has a twin brother. Her brother is supposed to go to the castle to be an apprentice wizard. However, he botches things up in an attempt to avoid a gambling debt. Emry goes there temporarily in his place. In the kingdom, things get interesting. Arthur and Lancelot are goofballs, with Arthur being a semi-illegitimate successor to the king. But then Arthur pulls the sword from the stone and later gets Excalibur. He now has the bonafides to be the ruler. Emry and Arthur also start to fall for each other (really confusing Arthur, who thinks Emry is a boy.) Eventually, he discovers the truth and they have a twist, only for Arthur's father to soon announce Arthur's engagement to another girl. Things get bad, and then get worse as a dark wizard attacks Emry. Arthur helps come to the rescue, and things get better, with Arthur standing up to his father and asking Emry to be the court wizard. The mix of modern sensibilities with historical settings does almost work, but requires a bit of suspension of disbelief. (If a gay knight and woman wizard are such a challenge to that society, it is not likely they would be so easily overcome.) 

What Was Pearl Harbor?

What Was Pearl Harbor? by Patricia Brennan Demuth

Despite warning signs, the US military was caught off guard by the Pearl Harbor invasion. Luckily, the aircraft carriers were at sea, somewhat limiting the total damage. This book is a quick introduction to the attack as well as World War II in general.

Waste: Uncovering the Global Food Scandal

Waste: Uncovering the Global Food Scandal by Tristram Stuart

People in the world are starving, yet huge amounts of food go to waste. How can that be?  There are numerous competing priorities to lead to this predicament. Concerns about food safety often lead to overzealous one-size-fits-all regulations that lead to more waste. Economic concerns also lead to more waste. It is more economical to produce extra that is later discarded than to not have enough for what is desired by customers. There are also competing uses for food. Biofuels help reduce fossil-fuel carbon emissions, yet they often use the same crops used to produce food.

How do resolve food waste problems? The easiest is to start with separation of food waste from other waste. Composting food waste or using it for animal feed is much more efficient than sending it to the dump. However, it is even better to make sure that it is not wasted. Serving smaller portions and then letting people have more is an effective way to limit discards. This meshes with some cultural norms, but goes strongly against others.

The best use of food is as actual food. Grocery stores can mark down or give away food near the end of its shelf life. This ensures more food can be consumed rather than tossed. The author has experience "dumpster diving" for food. This can often be used to find good amounts of food. However, businesses have concerns about the mess it causes or the danger that could occur with bad food. Why not just give it away via a more legitimate means so that it does not go to waste? 

Sell by dates are also a big problem that needs to be addressed.  Some products may be unsafe after the date. Others may be fine to eat decades after the date. One size fits all is not good.

In the less developed world, there are different challenges. Many crops end up going to waste in the storage or transportation process. 

Waste is a huge problem. It is easy to describe, but hard to resolve.

Journey to Freedom, 1838: Great Escapes, Book 2

Journey to Freedom, 1838: Great Escapes, Book 2 by Sherri Winston, illustrated by James Bernardin

The book attempts to narrate the story of a slave mother who escaped with her baby across a partially frozen river. The genesis of the story was an account in the work of Harriet Beecher Stowe. Her account was a composite of a few different slave escape stories. Some of the events were fairly well established, while others are more guesswork. While it may be impossible to tease out the 100% accurate account, it does provide good insight into the plights of slaves and the Underground Railroad.

What Was the Age of the Dinosaurs?

What Was the Age of the Dinosaurs? by Megan Stine, illustrated by Gregory Copeland

The book covers "the age of excitement about dinosaurs" almost as much as "the age that dinosaurs lived". That is a good thing. I have not heard much discussed about the first people that discovered dinosaur bones. It was also fun to read about the rivalry of early dinosaur enthusiasts and the underhanded tricks they would pull to best their rivals. The coverage of the lives of dinosaurs is also in this book, but that is pretty well covered elsewhere.

The Minstrel in the Tower

The Minstrel in the Tower by Gloria Skurzynski

Some kids in the middle ages are traveling around. They want to play a lute. Then the author talks about historical fiction at the end. It seemed to end a bit too abruptly before the full story was told. Perhaps the author cared a bit more about being educational than telling a story.

The Twisted Window

The Twisted Window by Lois Duncan

A mysterious boy from New Mexico shows up at a Texas high school and hits on a girl. This set off a stream of events that leads to a kidnapping and an understanding of the boys mental illness.

The boy had loved his half sister. He did not get along with the step father. His parents had separated. However, the step father came to his half-sister's birthday party and gave her a stuffed animal. This really upset the boy (who had given the half-sister her favorite stuffed animal.) He drove off in a huff and accidentally ran over his half sister. The boy only has one friend, a girl named Jaimie (We don't learn this backstory until the end of the book.) The boy had somehow convinced himself that his stepfather had stolen the half-sister and taken her to Texas. 

The boy had enlisted the help of a girl in Texas who looked like his friend Jamie. She was to spy on her step-father and see if he had the girl. They end up finding the signs of a toddler in the father's relative. The boy is convinced this is his half sister. The girl babysits for the family and they use that opportunity to take the girl to bring her back to New Mexico. On the way, the girl becomes suspicious and tries to call the boy's family and learns some of the backstory and has someone come to help them. At the time, the boy got suspicious and went to his house in the cabin. They end up meeting out there and after some conflict, it seems to have a happy resolution, the details of which are never mentioned.

The book has believable characters and is carried out in a suspenseful way. It does seem to have some minor updates which are a bit distracting. (The boy has a cell phone, yet they still plan on watching movies on a VCR.) 

I Am Both: A Vietnamese Refugee Story

I Am Both: A Vietnamese Refugee Story by Kerisa Greene

A Vietnamese family gets out of Vietnam on the last commercial flight (thanks to family airline connections.) They adapt to new life in the United States. It is very different. They even pick a new name and have to learn a new language. The girl at the center of the book realizes she is both American and Vietnamese. The book shows the positive experience that kids can have even as life poses many challenges.

A Feel Better Book for Little Tempers

A Feel Better Book for Little Tempers by Holly Brochmann and Leah Bowen, illustrated by Shirley Ng-Benitez

When kids have tempers they need to react appropriately. This book presents ways for children to let go of their tantrum so it doesn't impact them. It also shows parents reacting in similar ways. It tries too hard to be "educational" that it does not tell a good story. However, kids did like it.

Will the Pigeon Graduate?

Will the Pigeon Graduate? by Mo Willems

Does this release of this book signify that Mo Willem's daughter has recently graduated? Or is this just an attempt to jump on the "life events" bandwagon. The book is in the typical "pigeon" style. However, the content is different. Pigeon is not really trying to get something. Instead, he is worrying about his graduation and what will happen. At the end, he finally walks over the edge and realizes that he can fly. It is a nice metaphor for life and graduation, told in a "pigeon-style" children's book.

A Tale of Two Cities

A Tale of Two Cities: The Audible Dickens Collection by Charles Dickens

"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times" is one of the great intros of all time. Beyond that, I was pretty lost. When I had to read Tale of Two Cities in high school, I could not get into it at all. I read the whole book, but nothing stuck. Trying it again now was only marginally better. There was  a lot of anti-immigrant banter. It seemed the French revolution took some detours with "liberty, equality or death". A guy manages to show some mixed English, French ties and hopes to avoid the death part. There is also some romance and other bits in there. This narration was fairly unintelligible at 3.5 speed, but sounded fine around 3.2x. 

Coral the Reef Fairy (The Earth Fairies #4)

Coral the Reef Fairy (The Earth Fairies #4) by Daisy Meadows

The original UK version of the series was the "green fairies", but the US is always a bit different. The girls are at a beach earth festival. They run into Coral who wants to get her wand back from the Goblins. The shrink to a small size and swimming in the ocean. They ask a Clown Fish if he has seen the goblins. The catch is that the clown fish really is a clown and can't stop telling jokes. Once they do get an answer from him, they are able to find the goblins. The goblins are playing around the reef, damaging it in the process. Tourists are also causing damage. (However, they are not so intentional and the fairies can do work to stop them.) The girls and fairy finally get the goblin to let go of the wand by pulling him to the jellyfish. Now all is well in fairyland. The does provide some information on how to care for coral, but other than that it is a fairly typical one for the series. 

Magic Tree House Collection: Books 9-16

Magic Tree House Collection: Books 9-16 by Mary Pope Osborne

In this series of books, the kids use the treehouse to visit many past periods, primarily to gather books for Morgan Le Fay. In the process, they earn their master librarian cards. The trips include some visits to historical periods and places that are well known as well as those that are obscure. You would think that they would know a little bit more about the time periods they are exploring. There are also bits of "ghosts" that save them from some challenges. (I could do without those.)

9: Dolphins at Daybreak

They visit dolphins and communicate with them and other sea animals. (They also need to run from sharks)

10: Ghost Town at Sundown

They visit the wild west and meet a guy that is trying to protect his heard from horse thieves. He has a knack for writing and the kids encourage him to pursue the path. They later discover that a book they read about the period was written by him (and dedicated to them.) 

11: Lions at Lunchtime

They get to hang out with animals in Africa. Lions end up under their tree.

12: Polar Bears Past Bedtime

They play with polar bear cubs. Um, that does not seem like something that would be very smart. The natives of the region mention they learned a lot from the animals, but I don't think it was that way.

13:Vacation Under the Volcano

They visit Pompeii. They like the Roman times, but wonder why the soothsayer keeps saying the end is near. Then the realize the volcano is about to erupt and barely make it out in time. (But not before rescuing some books.

14: Day of the Dragon-King

In ancient China, the dragon king wants to destroy books (well actually "proto-books", they have not yet invented paper.) They rescue some.

15: Viking Ships at Sunrise

In Ireland, they encounter vikings and end up sailing away in one of their ships

16: Hour of the Olympics

The kids go to the Olympics and discover that only men are allowed. The girl tries to do some trickery to get in, but ends up in trouble.

Mariam’s Dream: The Story of Mariam Al-Shaar and Her Food Truck of Hope

Mariam’s Dream: The Story of Mariam Al-Shaar and Her Food Truck of Hope by Leila Boukarim, illustrated by Sona Avedikian

A girl living in a Middle Eastern refugee camp will not take no for an answer. She wants to do something and make the people in the camp happy. She finds that the women enjoy cooking. They start to cook and want to expand to a food truck. She must go through a lot of challenges, especially as she navigates through bureaucracy. After years of work, she finally gets the food truck launched. It is an aspiring story of persistence as well as a look at the challenges faced by refugees.

Clifford's Good Deeds

Clifford's Good Deeds by Norman Bridwell

Clifford wants to help out and do good deeds. However, due to his size, most of the good deeds end up backfiring and making things worse. Finally in the end he finds some things where his big size can be helpful. The "good deeds" backfiring is something relatable, even if not in the same way as they occur with Clifford.

The Magic School Bus Plants Seeds: A Book About How Living Things Grow

The Magic School Bus Plants Seeds: A Book About How Living Things Grow by Joanna Cole, illustrated by John Speirs and Bruce Degen

The magic school bus goes small to hang with the bugs and nectar as plants are pollinated and seeds produced. As a twist, they go back to Phoebe's old school and even see her old teacher. (Thus when she talks about her old school, they respond that they are there.) 

Goldie the Sunshine Fairy

Rainbow Magic Weather Fairies #4: Goldie the Sunshine Fairy by Daisy Meadows

It is getting really hot because the goblins have stolen the sunshine fairy's power. They find the goblins hanging out in the pigs mud. Eventually, the girls manage to get the sunshine power back and weather returns a little bit more to normal (and a feather appears on the rooster weather vane.) This is just an average fairy book.

Waiting Is Not Easy!

Waiting Is Not Easy!-An Elephant and Piggie Book by Mo Willems

Piggie has something for Elephant, but Elephant does not want to wait. He goes through many states of distress and gets upset that it starts to get dark. Then they see what they were waiting for - the stars in the night. Sometimes there is no option but to wait.

The Gilded Age: A Tale of Today

The Gilded Age: A Tale of Today by Mark Twain and Charles Dudley Warner

This book gave birth to the term "gilded age" to cover the last part of the 19th century. It was co-written by two authors and thus has a few distinct threads. At this time, everyone is out to get rich by whatever means possible. Speculation is the name of the game. The government was more a way of dispensing pork than actual governing. Washington D.C. gets especially pillared in the book. Who would dare think anything could be achieved by merrit? One girl tries to go to Washington to help get the government to invest in a plot of land she has. She lobbies hard and even murders a senator. She is later acquitted based on insanity, and then allowed to live her life. Another thread is about a man trying to make a fortune on a coal mine. Everyone likes him, but they just can't find it. Finally they give up and he works without pay with a loyalist before finally striking it rich.  While the plot gets a bit confusing, the satire is heavy hitting. Greed and corruption seem to hidden around every corner.

Ellie the Guitar Fairy (The Music Fairies #2)

Ellie the Guitar Fairy (The Music Fairies #2) by Daisy Meadows

One of the girl's dad has a band that sounds awful. The girls see a fairy pop out of the guitarist''s case. She is the guitar fairy and is trying to find the magical guitar that helps people play well. The Goblins have it and want to use it to win a competition. They find the goblin, but he is reluctant to give up the guitar. He is going to go to a music store to show that he is better than "Heddie Van Walen" (hmm, who is that based on.) The girls and fairy get there before him and trick him to go down an alley where the pelt him with rotten fruit. The fairy manages to get the guitar back and then clean up the mess. They go back and help make the dad band sound good. It was fun to see them sneak in a bit of pop culture reference into this fairy book. They also ran into somebody that they thought might be a goblin, but wasn't. A few "differences" from the typical book give it a slightly higher rating.