Review of Chapter after Chapter, by Heather Sellers

Creativity, Nonfiction Review, Starred Review, Writing 0

Chapter after Chapter

Discover the Dedication & Focus You Need to Write the Book of your Dreams

by Heather Sellers

Writer’s Digest Books, 2007. 242 pages.
Review written January 6, 2022, from my own copy.
Starred Review

This is a book about writing a book.

The chapters are short, good for a short burst of inspiration and thought. They include exercises, which I did not do (for the most part). I freely admit, I would have gotten more out of this book if I had done the exercises. Do the exercises!

It also took me a very long time to read this book, but when I did pull it out and dip into it, it helped keep me on track and helped keep me going on writing a book. In fact, it helped me remember that I did want to write a book and to start a new project when the pandemic hit.

There are 33 chapters, and I especially liked Chapter 26, “Just Want to Be Done.” I read it when I was on the brink of falling into the “just want to be done” trap myself. At the end of 2021, I’d been working on a book since the start of 2020. But it goes slowly when I only give it my spare time. I can finish this project, but I need to keep going. I’ve still got another half a draft to go.

This gives you a taste of Heather Sellers role as the voice of experienced reason:

Every writer I know reaches this stage. “Just-want-to-be-done-itis” is a nasty little virus that typically strikes during the revision process. It’s like a wart. You pick at it. You obsess about it. I have worked so hard on this book. I have worked harder on this than anything else. I just want to be done. I don’t want to work any more.

What is really happening is a giant fear attack. You wish you were done – that it was good just like it is. You are scared to look at it again deeply, because you are afraid you’ll find hideous flaws, horrendous things you have said, idiotic sentences. You are afraid you won’t know how to fix these things. You wish you didn’t even know about the problem; you kind of close your eyes and tiptoe around.

Of course there’s always more work to do on any book, and at some point you have to let it go and call it Good Enough. But successful writers, published writers, continue to work on their books long after they first hear the “I’m done!” chant….

Writing this book will take a lot longer than you want it to take. Hasn’t everything fabulous in your life taken more time than you thought it would?

She tells you that the first few times you hear that voice, it’s time to step back and see what you can do to make the book better. And it did me good to realize that voice coming too soon is a normal part of the process.

There’s lots more in this book. It’s about the process of writing a book, from the beginning of having the idea to actually writing it to seeking a publisher and getting published. And it’s very much about the mental process you go through along the way.

Have you ever wanted to write a book? This book will help you do it.

heathersellers.com

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Disclaimer: I am a professional librarian, but the views expressed are solely my own, and in no way represent the official views of my employer or of any committee or group of which I am part.

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Review of Compound Fracture, by Andrew Joseph White

Contemporary, Paranormal, Starred Review, Teen Fiction Review 0

Compound Fracture

by Andrew Joseph White

Peachtree Teen, 2024. 371 pages.
Review written November 19, 2024, from a library book.
Starred Review

I have gone back and forth many times as to whether to review this book. The folks who like the books I usually review shouldn’t take for granted that they’ll like this one. But let me say: The writing is stellar. The fact that I’ve been thinking about the book all day the day after I finished it says much about it.

My problem with the book? Well, it felt like a step too far when the protagonist’s friend was planning premeditated murder. It was justified! – and I didn’t like that either.

Now, the author walks the line with this incredibly well. Our protagonist is responsible for more than one death, but is not guilty of murder. And the book doesn’t end well for anyone who is guilty of murder. But there’s horrific violence here. And efforts that have been made to peacefully or politically overcome the bad guys – represented by the sheriff in this West Virginia county – are what ticks off that horrific violence. I feel like the message is: Sometimes the only way to overcome violence is with violence. And I don’t like that message or agree with it – even if it’s satisfying to see the evil ones lose in a fictional setting. (Not that the good folks aren’t traumatized along the way – I did warn you!)

The book has a wonderful sense of place, too, with pictures of coal miners on the endpapers. Miles Abernathy’s family has lived in Twist Creek County, West Virginia, for generations, and his great-great-grandfather led a coal miners’ strike – and was executed by the sheriff – the ancestor of the current sheriff – by hammering a railroad spike through his mouth.

As the book opens, Miles writes an email for his parents, telling them he’s trans, and then heads to a high school graduation party to show his friend Cooper photographic evidence he got from his dad’s safe that Sheriff Davies was the one responsible for the accident that caused Cooper’s mother’s death and Miles’ dad’s disability. Okay, that sentence was too long – but the book starts with Miles trying to do something for justice.

And that doesn’t end well. Miles gets brutally beaten and left for dead by the sheriff’s son and his two friends. In the hospital later, when Sheriff Davies talks to him, he has to pretend to have forgotten everything. But then in an encounter with one of his attackers, the other boy accidentally falls, hits his head, and dies. It was an accident, but Miles has no evidence – so Cooper helps him hide the body in the old mine. And from there… well, let’s just say that things escalate.

The author writes a letter at the front of the book, even while writing it hoping he’ll be able to change it before the book was published, but sad that he hasn’t been able to. Here’s part of that letter:

Instead, I have to write about how tough it is to be trans in America right now. By the time Compound Fracture is released, I’ll be twenty-six years old, and I’ll have seen bathroom bills, state-sponsored attempts to remove trans kids from supportive parents, crackdowns on gender-related care, and so much more. And if you’re disabled on top of it? Christ.

I guess what I’m saying is, I’m sorry it’s so difficult. We shouldn’t have to fight so hard to exist. We deserve better.

But, of course, this is a book about fighting as hard as you can. So please note that we’re going to deal with some difficult topics: graphic violence including police violence, transphobia, opioid use and withdrawal, and disturbing images. This is a book about an autistic, queer trans kid who loves his family and all the people who love him back . . . as well as all the people who want him dead. Actually, this book is kind of like moonshine. It’s gonna burn like hell going down….

If I promise you that this book has a happy ending, does that make it better? Does that make any of it easier to swallow?

And typing out that note reminds me of things I love about the book. Miles is a fully fleshed-out character and a great portrayal of an autistic, queer trans kid dealing with hard things as best he can. Another thing I love is the community portrayed in this book. There are loving parents also going through hard things, and in the end the whole community stands for what’s right.

But it’s a hard story along the way. And let me say again: Although it feels therapeutic to read about triumphing over hateful violence with violence, please don’t try this at home! I personally believe that nonviolence is more powerful in the long run.

But if this book can shine light on the injustice of targeting people who speak up against abuses of power? If it can show you a trans kid just trying to live his life (and the lovely imperfect way his family responds to his coming out)? – Then it’s doing good work.

Whatever else you think of it, this story will stick with you.

andrewjosephwhite.com

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Disclaimer: I am a professional librarian, but the views expressed are solely my own, and in no way represent the official views of my employer or of any committee or group of which I am part.

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Review of Our Crooked Hearts, by Melissa Albert

Paranormal, Starred Review, Teen Fiction Review 0

Our Crooked Hearts

by Melissa Albert

Flatiron Books, 2022. 340 pages.
Review written November 21, 2022, from a library book
Starred Review

This book is dark and haunting, and marvelously well-woven. The story has two threads: some chapters set in “The suburbs, Right now” and others set in “The city, Back then.”

The book begins in the suburbs right now with Ivy. She’s going home from a party with Nate, and she just broke up with him, but got into the car before she realized he was drunk. So when they swerve off the road after almost hitting an ethereal naked girl, she only admits to her busted lip and not the strange visitation.

But the next morning, Nate’s got a similar bruise on his face. More disturbing is the decapitated rabbit on their driveway. But when Ivy’s mother buries the rabbit and takes the teeth, Ivy starts wondering what’s going on.

But the chapters in the city back then are about Ivy’s mother, Dana, and her friend Fee. They discovered that magic is real. But when another girl, Marion, gets into their circle, she wants to take things deeper and darker.

As the reader progresses through the book, we gradually find out what happened back then and how it’s impacting what’s happening now. And the chances are high that the impact won’t be a good thing.

It adds up to a haunting novel about magic and motherhood, identity and memory. With lots of sinister moments.

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Review of True You: A Gender Journey, by Gwen Agna and Shelley Rotner

Art, Children's Nonfiction Review, Photography, Starred Review 0

True You

A Gender Journey

by Gwen Agna and Shelley Rotner
Photographs by Shelley Rotner

Clarion Books (HarperCollins), 2022. 48 pages.
Review written December 13, 2022, from a library book
Starred Review

Hooray! Shelley Rotner, author and photographer of many gorgeous photo-illustrated picture books, has turned her attention to the beautiful variety of children’s genders. Working with another early childhood educator, the two have written a book that explains gender in a way that children can understand. There are also nine pages of back matter with more information and further resources.

As with all of Shelley Rotner’s books, the main feature of the book is big, beautiful photographs of active children.

The book begins:

We are kids!

Girls, boys,
neither,
both,
or just not sure.

The photos show these kids being joyful, curious, and creative.

After some introductions, we meet specific kids, with speech bubbles coming from their pictures. The authors interviewed many kids and used their words. Here are a couple of them:

They thought I was a boy when I was born. But now, sometimes I feel like a girl.

Everyone can dress however they want.

Boys can wear dresses and girls don’t have to.

Another kid —

When I was born, people said I was a girl.
They were right!

I’m a girl because I feel like a girl!

People should love everybody for who they are. Anyone can play with dolls. All the colors are for everyone. Everybody can be strong.

As the book says, “Sometimes kids are just being kids — exploring different things!”

This big beautiful book can touch off accepting and supportive conversations. Whether or not your child is gender-nonconforming, this book will help them understand their peers, with an emphasis on kindness and acceptance. And there are plenty of resources for parents at the back.

gwenagna.com
shelleyrotner.com
harpercollinschildrens.com

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Disclaimer: I am a professional librarian, but the views expressed are solely my own, and in no way represent the official views of my employer or of any committee or group of which I am part.

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Review of The Spellshop, by Sarah Beth Durst

Audiobooks, Fantasy, Fiction Review, Starred Review 0

The Spellshop

by Sarah Beth Durst
read by Caitlin Davies

Macmillan Audio, 2024. 12 hours, 12 minutes.
Review written September 27, 2024, from a library eaudiobook.
Starred Review

The Spellshop is a novel for adults that reads like a sweet middle grade story (and I mean that in all the best ways). Yes, our main character is an adult, who’s been working for many years at the Great Library of Alyssium, but years of staying away from other people, happy with her books and with the sentient plant who serves as her assistant, has left Kiela good-hearted and somewhat naive.

As the book opens, the great capital city has been through a revolution – and a mob has started burning the library. Fortunately, Kiela had prepared by packing up some of the most important spell books in crates on a library boat, so she is able to escape with the books and with her plant assistant Kaz. She heads to one of the outer islands, to the cottage where she was born, but which her parents left when she was a child.

In the Empire, it was illegal for someone not a sorcerer to cast spells, but Kiela’s not entirely sure who’s in charge now, and there’s a need for magic on the island, as the imperial sorcerers have been neglecting it for years. And she has those spell books….

It begins as she tries to figure out how to make a living and casts a spell that makes raspberry bushes grow. She has her family recipe book for jam, and she decides to open a jam shop – and sell some “remedies” on the side. Maybe she can help the islanders with the plants that are failing and the springs that have dried up. Maybe she can help her handsome and helpful neighbor Loren with his mer-horses.

It all seems to be going well until a terrible magical storm hits the island and Loren rescues a woman whose ship is destroyed in the storm. She says she’s an imperial inspector. How will Kiela hide her magic?

This is a feel-good magic story. Yes, there’s romance, but the only physical affection is kissing. Yes, there’s real danger, but everyone is revealed to have a good heart. (Well, except one guy, and he’s dealt with in a gentle way.) It’s a story about Kiela finding a place and a home and making friends and helping those friends, and I just know they’re all going to live happily ever after, and I so enjoyed spending time with them.

This is a perfect dose of charm if you have had enough of sex, darkness, and death with your fantasy. Don’t get me wrong – I enjoy that, too! But this was a sweet change and a well-written story that leaves you feeling happy.

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Disclaimer: I am a professional librarian, but the views expressed are solely my own, and in no way represent the official views of my employer or of any committee or group of which I am part.

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Review of My Two Border Towns, by David Bowles, illustrated by Erika Meza

Contemporary, Picture Book Review, Starred Review 0

My Two Border Towns

by David Bowles
illustrated by Erika Meza

Kokila (Penguin Random House), 2021. 36 pages.
Review written September 30, 2022, from a library book
Starred Review

Here’s a joyful and brightly-colored picture book about a boy who lives in Texas not far from the border with Mexico and goes back and forth between the towns on either side of the river with his father often. I’ve heard the award-winning author speak at library conferences and award celebrations about growing up near the border and about liminal spaces.

This book tells about the boy and his father getting up early, getting a list from his mother, and spending a day on the Other Side.

This town’s a twin of the one where I live, with Spanish spoken everywhere just the same,
but English mostly missing till it pops up like grains of sugar on a chili pepper.

The have an errand at the boy’s aunt and uncle’s jewelry shop, and he plays with his cousins while his dad takes care of that. The boy had brought a special bag with things for his “friends,” and when they work on the shopping list and prescriptions for Mamá, they pick up more things for them.

On the way back over the border, the line is long, but Dad pulls over to the side.

A line of people camp along the edge, entire families from the Caribbean and Central America.

Refugees, Dad calls them. Stuck between two countries.

The U.S. says there’s no room, and Mexico says it can hardly look after its own gente.

Élder sees me and rushes over. His hair is longer than when we first met, almost six months back.

They share their special handshake and the boy shows him the stuff he brought. They have medicine for Élder’s mother, too.

He wishes Élder and his family could go back and forth across the border like they do with their passports.

“Soon, m’ijo,” Dad says. “It’s unfair to make him wait, since our country has room for his family right now.

“But when they get their chance at last, we’ll welcome him with open arms.”

All the way home I imagine a wonderful day,
when all my friends from the Other Side
can go back and forth
between my two
border towns,
just like me.

This book tackles a tough topic, but leaves the reader with an entirely happy message. It gives me a window — I don’t really know anything about what life is like near the border. But it also leaves me in awe of this family who matter-of-factly care for those who need it and don’t see it as doing the needy a favor, but as joyfully sharing with friends.

davidbowles.us
penguin.com/kids

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Disclaimer: I am a professional librarian, but the views expressed are solely my own, and in no way represent the official views of my employer or of any committee or group of which I am part.

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Review of Time and Time Again, by Chatham Greenfield

Science Fiction, Starred Review, Teen Fiction Review 0

Time and Time Again

by Chatham Greenfield

Bloomsbury, 2024. 327 pages.
Review written November 6, 2024, from a library book.
Starred Review

This is a time loop novel. Instead of taking us through how Phoebe figures out she’s in a time loop, this book starts on Version 26 of her August 6th. She has the same breakfast with her mom, walks to her dad’s house, plays Scrabble and eats his chicken parmesan and then goes to sleep with her Irritable Bowel Syndrome acting up, because the time she told her dad she couldn’t eat it, she hurt his feelings and it wasn’t worth it.

But every day on the way to her dad’s house, she sees her childhood best friend Jess drive by, and they exchange a look. Phoebe analyzes the look, but doesn’t know what to make of it, and starts thinking of that as the brightest spot of her (repeated) day.

And then one of the repeated days, she’s not paying attention and walks in front of Jess’s car. Jess hits Phoebe, and comes out of her car, very much alarmed. Phoebe isn’t hurt, but it’s a dramatic change from the other days. And then the next day, Jess remembers that it happened! Before long, it becomes apparent that Jess has been pulled into the time loop, too. Jess is appalled that Phoebe has been doing the same thing every day, so she decides to show Phoebe how to have fun.

And then the two girls fall in love – or rather both realize that they already had a crush on each other. It’s beautifully done, since they have all the time in the world. But we see the progression of shared moments and plans to brighten each other’s days.

Now, in any speculative fiction novel, I’m picky about how the magic (or “science”) works. But I do tend to suspend my criticism for time loop novels, because it’s such a fun story idea. However, I have to say the biggest challenge is how they come out of the loop and what the repercussions are. And does it help the whole thing make any sense? For me, that was where this novel fell short and I didn’t really buy how it worked at the end. That said, I still loved reading this – it’s a charming romance between a fat girl with IBS and a girl who is disabled. Because no, those aren’t the most important things about either one. And I love the way their romance builds on their childhood friendship and how each one fills in encouragement when the other one needs it. So no matter how you feel about the time loop, this is a delightful romance.

chatgreenfield.com

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Disclaimer: I am a professional librarian, but the views expressed are solely my own, and in no way represent the official views of my employer or of any committee or group of which I am part.

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Review of May the Best Player Win, by Kyla Zhao

Children's Fiction Review, Contemporary, Starred Review 0

May the Best Player Win

by Kyla Zhao

G. P. Putnam’s Sons, 2024. 225 pages.
Review written October 28, 2024, from a book sent to me by the publisher.
Starred Review

May the Best Player Win is about a middle school student named May who loves playing chess. As the book opens, she wins a trophy for being the top girl player at the State Middle School competition.

That gets her lots of attention from her school, and even from the media – but also prompts some jealousy from her competition on her own team. She thought Ralph was her friend, and they tied at the competition, but he tells her she’s not really that good and is only getting the attention because she’s a girl. So that starts a bet between them over which one will be named team captain when they compete at Nationals.

Meanwhile, her school’s doing a publicity campaign, and they pair May up with Mario, a soccer star, who turns out to be nice as well as athletic. But May needs to keep working on her chess game, and her friend Becca (who’s also on the team) wants time with her, and the school schedules picture-taking with Mario. When May starts telling little white lies to keep her schedule straight, Becca feels hurt.

This book does a great job of portraying middle school concerns and middle school pressures. We’re with May in her struggles to prioritize it all. And I like the natural way she gets to thinking about regaining her joy in playing chess that she had when she started playing at six years old, when she wasn’t thinking so much about winning.

The book gives each chapter a title that’s a chess term, with its definition, and they all fit remarkably well. It does a nice job of giving us the feel of what goes into being a serious chess player without getting lost in the details. It also felt like a genuine explanation of the game without hand-waving or magical abilities that just make the player “good” – I suspect because the author reveals at the back that she learned to play chess at six years old, like May – but later dropped out after encountering discrimination and criticism of girls and feeling pressured to win. I love that she’s got May facing those same obstacles and overcoming. May this be true for more and more girls today.

I love her letter to the reader at the back of the book (and the story is strong enough to carry it), which ends like this:

I hope May’s adventures inspire you to hold on to the joy of playing – in chess or in any activity you choose. Don’t let the weight of expectations dim the sparkle of your love for the game. Don’t let others tell you whether you are or aren’t good enough, because the only thing that should matter is your passion and determination. So, keep playing, keep dreaming, and most importantly, enjoy every moment on and off the chessboard.

KylaZhao.com

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Disclaimer: I am a professional librarian, but the views expressed are solely my own, and in no way represent the official views of my employer or of any committee or group of which I am part.

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Review of The Wood Between the Worlds, by Brian Zahnd

Christian, Nonfiction Review, Starred Review 0

The Wood Between the Worlds

A Poetic Theology of the Cross

by Brian Zahnd

InterVarsity Press, 2024. 206 pages.
Review written October 21, 2024, from my own copy, purchased via Amazon.com.
Starred Review

Here’s another book about the theology of the cross. This one, as seen in the title, takes a poetic approach. Here’s how he puts it in the first chapter, as he tells about a walking trip in Spain where he entered every church along the way and paid attention to the crucifixes:

For six weeks I saw different crucifixes every day, and as I walked, I meditated on what it meant that when the Son of God came into the world he was nailed to a tree. I heeded the Spirit’s admonition to resist a quick answer. This is the bane of tidy atonement theories. The idea that we can sum up the meaning of the crucifixion in a sentence or two borders on the blasphemous. Atonement theories have an unfortunate tendency to reduce the crucifixion to a single meaning. This is an enormous mistake. If you’re going to dabble in atonement theories, at least keep it plural. Reducing the cross to a single meaning quarantines the cross so it doesn’t touch too many areas of our lives.

So this book is more of a meditation on the cross than it is an explanation of the cross. There is an inset of color pictures of crucifixes from all over the world and from many different time periods.

Here’s another way he puts that thought:

The meaning of the cross is not singular, but kaleidoscopic. Each turn of a kaleidoscope reveals a new geometric image. This is how we must approach our interpretation of the cross – through the eyepiece of a theological kaleidoscope. That the word kaleidoscope is a Greek word meaning “beautiful form” makes this all the more apropos. I believe it is safe to assume there are an infinite number of ways of viewing the cross of Christ as the beautiful form that saves the world. In this book I seek to share some of the beautiful forms I see as I gaze upon the cross through my theological kaleidoscope.

But one thing you will not find here is any teaching that Jesus saves us from God.

The cross is not what God inflicts in order to forgive; the cross is what God in Christ endures as he forgives. This is an essential and enormous clarification! At the cross the Son does not act as an agent of change upon the Father. Orthodox theology has always insisted that God is not subject to change or mutation. Rather, God is immutable. Thus the cross is not where Jesus changes God but where Jesus reveals God. On Good Friday Jesus does not save us from God; Jesus reveals God as Savior! We don’t have to imagine the Son pacifying an angry Father in order to understand Good Friday as the epicenter of forgiveness.

Instead, Jesus shows us what God is like.

What do I see when I look upon Christ in death with a pierced side? I see that a soldier’s spear has opened a window into the heart of God. As I gaze into the heart of God I discover that there is no wrath, no malice, no threat, no vengeance; only compassion, mercy, and forgiveness. Jesus said, “Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks” (Mt 12:34). Jesus dies, not with a curse upon his lips, but with a plea for pardon. To see Christ upon the cross is to see into the very depths of the heart of God. Where once in our distant pagan past we imagined there lurked monstrous intent threatening harm, we now discover there is only tender compassion. On the cross we encounter a God who would rather die than kill his enemies. When we look through the riven side of Christ into the heart of God, we gaze upon a vast cosmos filled with galaxies of grace.

I like the way he also reaches for poetry, literature, music, and art to help us understand the centrality of the cross – as you can see in the title from C. S. Lewis.

The cross of Christ is the wood between the worlds – the world that was and the world to come.

Or you can see it in the chapter using images from Tolkien’s writings.

Just as Middle-earth could not be saved, only enslaved, by the Ring of Power, so Christianity cannot save the world by political power; it can only be corrupted by it. Jesus Christ crucified is the everlasting indictment on those who forsake the way of the cross to reach for the ring of political power. The power we are promised by our Lord is the power of the Holy Spirit – the power to love, forgive, and heal. If we try to wield the Ring of Power (or Caesar’s sword), it will only corrupt us.

There’s lots more in this book. I think I’m giving up on summarizing it and will be content that the quotations I’ve pulled out will give you an idea of what’s here. I recommend this book as an aid to meditating on the cross of Christ, the wood between the worlds.

brianzahnd.com
ivpress.com

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Disclaimer: I am a professional librarian, but the views expressed are solely my own, and in no way represent the official views of my employer or of any committee or group of which I am part.

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Review of Isla to Island, by Alexis Castellanos

Children's Fiction Review, Graphic Novel, Historical, Starred Review 0

Isla to Island

by Alexis Castellanos

Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2022. 192 pages.
Review written September 20, 2022, from a library book
Starred Review

Isla to Island is a historical graphic novel about a young Cuban girl named Marisol who gets sent to New York City as part of Operation Peter Pan in 1960, an operation to rescue children of Cubans who feared they would be imprisoned under Castro for their political beliefs, and their children with them.

The graphic novel story is mostly done with pictures, and it’s beautifully done. Scenes of Marisol in Cuba with her family are bright and colorful. The only text (and there’s not a lot) is in Spanish, including a rooster that crows, “Qui qui ri qui.” Already in Cuba, we see that Marisol loves flowers and books.

When she says a sad good-by to her parents, she lands in a New York City that is cold and gray and in the middle of winter. Her caretakers there are kind, but the colors are gone. At school, people laugh at her, and she doesn’t understand what the teacher is saying and gets failing grades.

But then she discovers the library. Books are the first things that are full of color, so much so that streams of color waft from them. And through the books she chooses, her caretakers discover her love of flowers and bring her to the greenhouse in the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, where she sees familiar flowers from Cuba.

The graphic novel is great at visually representing Marisol’s dawning hope. An Author’s Note at the back explains about Operation Peter Pan and the author’s family connections to Marisol’s story.

This is a quick read with so much presented visually, so a short time spent gives you a lovely and uplifting story.

alexiscastellanos.com
simonandschuster.com/kids

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