George O'Connor, Ashley Koff, Laurent de Brunhoff, Mercer Mayer and Christina Tosi

I've been reading quite a bit lately, and totally forgot to write this post after I finished watching my new show tonight, Whitechapel, a cop show on BBC America. So I popped back on to post these reviews before bed. 

Children

Babar's Mystery by Laurent de Brunhoff

This book was a cute story about Babar and his family going to the sea, the Old Lady wanting to write a novel and a mystery about a stolen piano, Babar's car and statue. I got it for Liam, but will save it for him when he gets a bit older. Recommended for ages 5+, 3 stars. 

Just Me and My Mom by Mercer Mayer

I loved Mercer Mayer books when I was a kid and I love being able to share them with my son. This book was a cute story about Little Critter going to town with his mom and having some crazy adventures, but ultimately having a great time together. Recommended for kids ages 0-5, 4 stars. 

Children and Young Adult

Athena: Grey Eyed Goddess (Olympians #2) by George O'Connor

Once again, another brilliant graphic novel by author/illustrator George O'Connor. This second volume in the series focuses on Athena, goddess of Wisdom, War, Strategy, Crafts and Cities. She was always my favorite Greek diety, and I even named a stuffed owl I got Buboe after her owl in the movie "Clash of the Titans". 

I'm glad he included a genealogy in the front of the book as it gets very confusing at times to remember which child is from which mother. I knew how Athena had been born (sprung out the head of Zeus fully formed and grown up), but I never knew that Zeus had eaten her mother Metis to avoid a prophecy, and she had been born/grew up inside his head. I found the story of how she got the name Pallas interesting as well as how she got the Aegis and added to it. As with his "Hades" graphic novel, the "Greek Notes" in the back of the book are so fascinating and give more depth to the story (ex. how Hephaestus came to be born). Recommended for ages 10+, 5 stars. 

Hera: The Goddess and Her Glory (Olympians #3) by George O'Connor

I really enjoyed this version of Hera's story as it showed her not like she is traditionally portrayed, as the jealous and vengeful woman, but as a loving wife who knows what she wants and goes and gets it. I liked how the author described her as "the one person that Zeus well and truly fears (pg 68)." I didn't know until I read the previous volume on Athena that Hera was Zeus's second wife, but I find it interesting that knowing Zeus's wondering eye, she demanded he properly marry her and make her his wife and equal. Yes, she caught her husband cheating many times and punished his mistresses and their offspring, the best example being Heracles, whose name coincidentally means "The Glory of Hera". The story of the creation of the Milky Way was probably one of the most interesting ones in the graphic novel, as was the women's tale of Hera's renewal ceremony at the end of the book. Recommended for ages 10+, 5 stars. 

Adult

Mom Energy: A Simple Plan to Live Fully Charged by Ashley Koff R.D. and Kathy Kaehler

This was an advanced copy I got from Netgalley. 

Overall, I enjoyed this book, especially the Reorganizing and Rehabilitation sections. The purpose of this book is to give busy moms more energy with a three-step strategy: Reorganizing your priorities and eating habits, Rehabilitating your body by taking better care of your digestive system, detoxing and supplementing it with vitamins, and Recharge your body by exercising, getting enough sleep and remembering to fit in some playtime. It discusses how energy is related to metabolism, lack of a balanced diet/sleep, hormones, and health conditions. There is a quiz to judge your current energy levels (3 groups of scores) and one to tell you what is stealing your energy and how to tailor your energy makeover (5 profiles). The back of the book features exercises you can do at home. 3 stars. 

Momofuku Milk Bar by Christina Tosi

This was an ARC from Netgalley. 

I loved the Momofuku (which means "lucky peach") cookbook and the story of how chef David Chang created and developed the Momofuku Restaurant Group, which included the Noodle and Ssam Bars, Ko, and Ma Peche. I even loved the website (momofukufor2.com) where two fans created recipes out of the cookbook and blogged about it. I've never been to these restaurants but I know I would love the Noodle & Milk Bars. So I was very excited to see this cookbook. I like the way they make the cookbook personal by telling the chef's story at the beginning before they start in on the recipes, then like all good cookbooks, they follow with ingredient, equipment and techniques lists. Each recipe had serving suggestions, i.e. other recipes in the book that either used the recipe in it or with it. Most the of the recipes I wasn't a particular fan of because of their long format and multiple-parts, like restaurant cookbooks tend to have. I was fascinated with some of the recipes for their crazy combinations, like the Candy Bar Pie (I mean who wouldn't like a pie with pretzels, salted caramel, peanut butter nougat, and chocolate), the Cinnamon Roll with the liquid Cheesecake instead of Cream Cheese frosting and the Thai Tea Parfait with Lemon Marscapone and Thai Tea Crunch. 3 1/2 stars. 

My two latest obsessions

So lately I have been rather bored and started searching for new shows to watch since the last show I started watching on Hulu was Mercy, which only lasted 22 episodes and just as it got all cliffhanging, I found out that they had canceled it. I had heard from several friends that they liked Bones, and since I tend to like true-crime shows, I thought I would give it a whirl. Now I'm totally addicted. I started watching it last weekend and am already on the third season of 6. Thankfully Netflix has it on the online queue for free, so I've been watching it there. It's just so nice to find an intelligent woman with an interesting job that I'd actually consider doing, provided I had unlimited resources of course (even less jobs out there for forensic anthropologists than there are for children's librarians, which I know as I have friends who are cultural anthropologists). I wasn't really a fan of David Boreanaz, but the more I see of him acting as Booth, the FBI agent, the more I like him. I also love the other cast members, the incredibly social awkward guy who's really good at his job and super smart, the smart sexy female coroner, the beautiful artist girl with a past, and the insanely rich bug and dirt guy who just wants a normal life. And even though the show has given me a few nightmares, especially after watching 3 or more episodes in a row, I am still fascinated by it. 

The other thing I've been obsessed about, and part of the reason I can't sleep (the other being my hips hurt like crap and are all out of alignment due to my current state of pregnancy and being unable to sleep on my back) is Dragon Age II. Originally when my hubby and I played the demo, I was impressed with it, but didn't really care when we got it. My hubby decided to preorder it and we got it by Thursday, and I've been playing it ever since. The storyline just sucks you in from the beginning, well after you make it Kirkwall (your future home) anyways.  This one is following a similar timeline to the Dragon Age: Origins (the first game in the series) but in a totally different location and with different characters for the most part. The romance aspect of it is very intriguing as all the people you have the option of starting something with are damaged in major ways, so it is interesting to see which one you choose and why. The storyline so far is a bit depressing, but fascinating because it is all told from the viewpoint of a dwarf who is in the company of "the Champion" from the beginning, as he is being interrogated. So I am very interested to see where the storyline eventually ends up. I haven't gotten this into a game since Origins came out. 

Last 20 episodes and a new series

I am on the last 20 episodes of the Inuyasha (not counting the Final Act series episodes) and can I just say how frustrating it is!!?!  They've brought back Kikyo again, after "killing" her off like 30 episodes ago by the main villain Naraku, but now her spirit is back. As annoying as Inuyasha can be at times, I do believe that he is meant to be with Kagome, which is freaking hard when his ex semi-dead girlfriend keeps popping up. This time, Kagome had the choice about whether or not to save Kikyo and she did it without hesitation, though afterwards, Kikyo bolted and didn't wait for Inuyasha to show up. Then the fact that Inuyasha didn't go after her says something as every other time she's been injured, he follows her. 


That all being said, the ending of the series was crap. Nothing was resolved, including the main villain and all his associates still being alive and Inuyasha/Kagome relationship being same old same old. Now they have made a 26 episode series called Inuyasha: The Final Act, which has already been released in 2010 in Japanese with English subtitles. However, I find my comprehension and distraction level is way higher when watching the Japanese version, so I'm waiting till they release the dubbed version, which should be soonish (hopefully by 2011) as they've already gotten most of the old cast together (minus the voices for Sesshomaru and Kagome). I would like to watch the movies too, though those might have to wait awhile. 


In the meantime, I think I might start watching a new series called Kekkaishi, a series I actually know about as I've read the first 4 or so mangas, and I must say that so far they've done a good job. I really like the manga and the author, Yellow Tanabe. Here is a summary of the storyline.

*Muppet Wiki*

I'm a day late with this, but I've been swamped with school work,  so I apologize. Well that and I couldn't come up with a good website to share until now, lol. I finished my portfolio Sunday night and submitted it so just waiting for the feedback on it. I spent about half of the day today working on a paper for my reference class which was due tonight, and now my brain is fried and my lower back is killing me from lugging a heavy bookbag and laptop all over the library. So I'm watching Inuyasha episodes and relaxing. I think I might have some ice cream after I finish this post. 

 

So the website of the week is the Muppet Wiki, which I discovered last week while browsing the web.  As they say on the website, it is a "collaborative encyclopedia for everything related to Jim Henson, The Muppet Show, Sesame Street and The Muppets Studio. The wiki format allows anyone to create or edit any article, so we can all work together to create a comprehensive database for fans of the Muppets." I think it is a great idea! I have loved the Muppets ever since I was little, probably 8 or 9, and I grew up watching Fraggle Rock, The Dark Crystal, The Muppet Show, and Labyrinth. I was a little miffed when the Jim Henson Company (JHC) officially sold the rights to the Muppets to Disney (both companies I love watching movies and TV shows from, but they were owned by Disney before unwillingly and it just looks like they sold out). I know they probably did it because Disney is able to market them in ways the JHC couldn't dream of, because they have so much more money, but it kinda seems like they sold out. But anyways, I ended up browsing the wiki for news of the new Muppet movie that should be coming out next year's Christmas Day. So yay, excited to hear that! So take a look around the wiki and enjoy.

Inuyasha Part 2

Well, I am currently 100 episodes into Inuyasha and I am loving it! My favorite character outside the main group (Kagome, Inuyasha, Sango, Miroku, Shippo and Kilala/Kirara) is Kouga, the wolf demon who is in love with Kagome, which of course, infuriates Inuyasha to no end and he is always challenging Kouga to duels to the death as a result. Yes, he is possessive of Kagome, but at least he declares his love and tries to express it, unlike Inuyasha who is too scared to really tell Kagome. I never really noticed it when I was watching the show before, probably b/c they were out of order, but Inuyasha's brother Sesshomaru is pretty hot. 

I found out today that there are 26 new episodes that came out between 2009-2010 in Japanese with English subtitles called Inuyasha Final Act. They say that the English language version is in the works, so I might have to wait for that. They are supposed to follow the manga and pick up where the first 6 seasons left off. I am also interested in watching  Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, which is supposed to more closely follow the manga (compared to the original series, which starts out the same, but the characters/decisions/storyline changed as it went on). Truth be told, I've only really watched two anime series, and Fullmetal Alchemist was my second series and I absolutely love it (and would love to own it)!

Inuyasha!

So whilst taking a break this afternoon, I discovered that I could watch whole episodes of one of my favorite anime shows, Inuyasha (whose name literally means "friendly dog demon," which I never knew until today). I am very excited about this, because I've only ever been able to watch it sporadically over the years, and never really in sequential order. I started watching it in college, whenever I was on breaks home to visit my parents and couldn't sleep, as it was usually on at about 11pm on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim TV show. I loved the silly and sometimes romantic storyline and the costumes. The weird thing is I don't like the original Japanese version as I think the subtitles take away from the show (though I usually like subtitles), I prefer to watch the English dubbed version. 

Anyways, I have decided to watch all 167 episodes in the next year. I also possibly want to read the manga versions as well, as I've heard that they help explain some of the story loops by the sudden end of the anime series. They've also made 5 movies that I will try to figure out how they fit in. 

The show is basically about a Kagome, a 20th century 15 year old girl whose family guards an ancient shrine, tree and well. One day she falls down the well and end up in an alternate dimension of feudal medieval Japan, where demons run amok. She discovers that she is the ancient reincarnation of Kikyo, a priestess whose main job was to protect the Shikon, a powerful jewel that can make demons invincible. Inuyasha is a half-demon ,who is trying to steal the jewel, but Kikyo imprisons him on a tree with a spell (coincidently the same tree that grows near the ancient shrine in present-day Tokyo next to Kagome's house). A series of demons try to steal the jewel, which Kagome now possesses, until she accidently explodes the jewel into many many pieces. In the beginning, Inuyasha and Kagome must work together to get the jewel shards and they dislike each other, but they grow to like each other as time grows on. For more detailed info, see this Inuyasha Character Wiki. Also, if you would like to read the manga version of it, please go to this link. 

11/5/10
Watching this show over again is awesome because it makes me remember why I started watching in the first place. The show is so steeped in Japanese folklore/mythology, alongside with the fantasy of the show (alternate dimensions, time travel etc). Plus it is so interesting to see the character development as it progresses. I am currently on episode 50 and  you learn so much about Inuyasha and Kagome in particular, but also about secondary but frequent characters like Kikyo, Naraku, Miroku, Shippo and Sango. I had totally forgotten about my favorite name in the show too, Sango the demon slayer's pet demon cat, Kirara/Kilala depending on who is pronouncing it. Oh and I finally found out when the Warring States period was, so it is technically Renaissance Japan (vs. Medieval) as was between 1400-1600.

The New Doctor Who

As a continuation of my post a few days ago on Doctor Who, I thought I would include this article that I found today that better explains about the new 11th Doctor, Matt Smith. I personally like him, though I will say that after David Tennant brilliant's performance and whom I really loved, I didn't think anyone could follow that. Matt Smith really came into his own about halfway through the season, despite the on-and-off writing of the entire season (not as good as the past three seasons, because I think, head writer Russell Davies left).

Doctor Who

As I was browsing the internet this morning, checking email and Facebook to see what is going on with the rest of the world, a friend of mine posted this random video of a baby monkey riding a pig. I thought it was cute so I watched some more videos by the same person, also cute but found this great one about Doctor Who. I have only become a Doctor Who fan with the start of the new series back in 2005 with Christopher Eccleston as the Doctor himself. I knew nothing about the series until my hubby got me watching it and after a few episodes, I was hooked. I loved the sci-fi adventure and slight romance attitude of the show, discovering new worlds and alien cultures, battling the bad ones and befriending the good ones. The best villains ever are the Daleks, the Doctor's most evil enemies from way back. I mean it has to be so lonely being the only person left out of your entire species (which isn't entirely true, but for most of the time he is), that's why every new season he has a new companion. Christopher Eccleston was a great Doctor Who (even though he only stayed around for one season), but David Tennant as the 10th Doctor was even better and he stayed for two seasons. The new 11th Doctor is Matt Smith, who at first (just like at the beginning of the other series) I didn't like but grew to love his random quirkiness and goofy looks. What can I say? I love nerdy guys.

Ah the companions. In 2005, there was Rose Tyler and she stayed on for a bit of 2006 as well. At first I was quite miffed that they had stranded her in an alternative dimension as she seemed to be the love of the Doctor's life, but then again that is pretty much the companion's job isn't it? Keep the Doctor doing his job, saving the universe and all, and then flirting on the side seems to be the companion's job. After Rose, there was Martha Jones (the doctor) who I also liked, as she was more fiesty than Rose. In between, there was my favorite semi-companion Captain Jack Harkness. The fans liked him so much, they gave him his own spin-off show, Torchwood, which I also fell in love with. Jack is so crazy, plus you can never tell if he is really into guys, girls or whatever alien crosses his path. But he also has a really vulnerable side, which I think makes him a good companion. Plus he loves the Doctor. The second half of the 10th Doctor's tenure we had comedienne Catherine Tate as Donna Noble who was my favorite real companion as she was so funny and lost the much on the show. The 11th Doctor's companions are interesting because it started out with Amy Pond and then later it grew to include Amy's fiancee Rory. Also instead of falling in love with the Doctor (ok she did as a little girl and a bit when they were alone, long story), she ends up marrying Rory at the end of the first season.

I can't wait for the Christmas episode and the new season in January!

The Six Wives of Henry VIII

Last week, I was listening to a bit of the commentary for Edward the King, done by the director of the series, Timothy West who plays Edward/Bertie and Annette Crosbie who played Queen Victoria. I had thought she did a good job as Queen Victoria, and knew that she had gotten a BAFTA (British Academy Award) for her role and she mentioned that she had also gotten one for her role as Catherine of Aragon in The Six Wives of Henry VIII. So I decided to see if Netflix had it and indeed they did. It was a series done in 1970, five years before she played Queen Victoria. She was rather good in it as well.

Most of what I know about Henry VIII I have learned from TV shows, reading up on him and the time period and asking my dad (the history buff) questions. I've yet to read Alison Weir's book on the subject, but it is supposed to be good. Suffice it to say that I, like a lot of people, seem to know a lot about the first two queens and almost nothing about the following four. I feel kind of sorry for Catherine because first she is to wed Henry's brother Arthur and she is married to him for a very short period of time and then has to wait a further six years before she marries Henry. Once they are married, they seem to be happy and he loves her and his daughter. But once he sees Anne Bolelyn, everything starts going haywire. I mean how would you feel if the husband you loved and had been with nearly twenty years suddenly decides he doesn't love you anymore and that your marriage isn't valid because you were his brother's wife?! I would be outraged and she was too! I was raised Episcopalian, so I know all about the Anglican Church. I believe that the Catholic Church was corrupt back in Henry's time, but I don't think that wanting to have a public mistress-to-be-queen is the right reason for separating from the Catholic Church and forming your own because you want to have your own way. And then he goes and puts her on trial on made-up charges and has her beheaded.

Since the first episode was so interesting, I decided to watch the rest of the series, minus the Anne Bolelyn episode. I know that Jane Seymour, his third wife, gave him his legal male heir Edward. He really seemed to love Jane and her influence over the king allowed for Lady Mary, his daughter by Catherine, to return to court. He mourned her death for two years after she died. The fourth marriage was very interesting as the only thing I had ever known about Anne of Cleves is what she looked like from the famous portrait of her by Hans Holbein, the court painter. She apparently was well-versed in politics and in the miniseries at least, she seems to want the marriage annulled as much as Henry did, but they stayed on good terms and he gave her property and the title "King's Sister". Kathryn Howard was his fifth wife and this marriage should never have happened. I had no idea that she was cousins with Anne Bolelyn, the other wife of Henry's to be executed. One reason they should not have been married was the age difference, he was 49 and she was between 17-19, and another was he had gained a lot of weight and had an ulcerated leg and was not in the best of health to keep up with a pretty energetic young girl. Kathryn was killed because she had affairs before and after her marriage to the king. In the miniseries at least, he seemed very upset that she would do these things to him. Katherine Parr was his final wife and she was twice-widowed by the age of 31. It seems she married the King because he was "old and lonely," but later grew to love him. She was almost tried for heresy by the Bishop of Winchester, but the king stopped it. After the king's death, she goes on to marry Thomas Seymour, one of Jane Seymour's brothers. Overall, I liked the series despite the sometimes bad/over the top acting.

Victorian-Edwardian periods

I have always been fascinated by Queen Victoria, probably because we share the same name (my first middle name is Victoria) and I've always thought I was named after her. This summer I have been absorbed in books and movies about the Victorian and Edwardian periods. I started back in April watching the 1976 BBC series The Duchess of Duke Street, starring Gemma Jones, about a famous female chef named Louisa Trotter and her adventures in Victorian and turn of the 20th century London. Her character is based off a real life person named Rosa Lewis and her association with famous personalities of the day including Bertie the Prince of Wales, Kaiser Wilhelm II, and many others. I read most of the biography of Rosa Lewis: the Exceptional Edwardian by Anthony Masters, and enjoyed it though it got pretty dry particularly at the end.

Next, I tried to read Lynn Vallone's Becoming Victoria, about the childhood and education of Queen Victoria, as seen through her own journals/letters/stories and literature of the day. It was a very interesting concept, however, I didn't get very far as it was rather dry, almost like a cross between someone's thesis and a regular work of nonfiction. Despite this, I would like to attempt to read it again later when I have more time and focus. I was also finally able to watch the new movie The Young Victoria starring Emily Blunt as Victoria and Rupert Friend as Albert. This version of their story is unique because it gives you a different view than what we normally see of the queen. The movie starts out before Victoria is crowned, when her mother and her mother's advisor Conroy, are still trying to control her. Victoria does not want to be married because she doesn't want to be controlled anymore, so at first she objects to Albert's pursuance of her, which is partly his own and partly prodded on by King Leopold of Belgium. Albert tells her his true feelings and they become friends, and he is allowed to write to her after he returns to Germany. Eventually Victoria's uncle William dies and she becomes the Queen and is controlled semi-willingly by the Prime Minister Lord Melbourne. Eventually after a couple changes in government, she invites Albert back to England and asks him to marry her (he is not allowed to ask her because she is the wealthier party). Once they are married however, tensions come out as Victoria wants Albert to be "an obedient friend and lover and not a controlling husband (taken from http://www.theyoungvictoriamovie.com/)," however he wants to be part of the political decisions, something which Victoria refuses to allow him to do. So he starts by helping her with little things, like re-organizing the household staff to make it more efficient, and proves his worth even more so when he jumps in front of a would-be assassin to save her life. She is devastated at the thought of losing him, realizing that she was being selfish and rectifies things by putting their desks together and promising to work together forever. I thought Emily Blunt did a very good job as a young vulnerable but headstrong Victoria and Rupert Friend was excellent as a young good-looking frustrated Albert who is used to being controlled all his life as well and finally finds a good match with Victoria.

The Duchess of Duke Street led me to watch another BBC miniseries called Lillie, about the famous beauty Lillie Langtry. That particular series was starring the gorgeous and super-talented Francesca Annis and she does a fabulous job illustrating her life and most famously her association with Bertie Prince of Wales. As you can see there is a bit of a theme here with the Prince, so I decided I should read a biography of him next. I read John Pearson's biography Edward the Rake: An Unwholesome Biography of Edward VII, which I reviewed on Aug 19. Following this, I decided to get a better view of Edward and watched another BBC miniseries Edward the King, with the wonderful acting of Robert Hardy as Prince Albert (Bertie's father) and Timothy West as Edward aka Bertie. It was a very well done series and explains a lot about life with Victoria and Albert (she seems like a very hard person to get along with), their insanely idealized expectations of Bertie and the monarch he was to become despite his short reign of only about 10 years. I do find it interesting that Timothy West, his father Lockwood West and his son Samuel West have all played King Edward the Seventh at one point in their careers.

While watching Lillie and Edward the King, I discovered some very interesting personalities of the day. In Lillie, it was William Gladstone who was four times Queen Victoria's prime minister and a friend of both Lillie and the Prince of Wales. The one thing he did that I found intriguing was his habit of picking up prostitutes, which he did so he could save them from their lives and turn them onto the path of good. It was just funny how he literally went out at night by himself, while he was in office as Prime Minister, and picked up the ladies of the night and brought them home to his wife. In Edward the King, I found Princess Alexandra of Denmark (Alix to her friends and family) the later Queen Consort to Edward VII a fascinating woman because of what she put up with. I mean Victoria could not have been an easy mother-in-law to have and yet Alix got along well with her. Not only that, but with Bertie shagging everything in a skirt, it would be enough to drive any woman insane. But she seemed to really love him and stayed with him till the end. I found this article online about Alix that I wanted to share for those who want more information. Also I am fascinated by Alix's sister Dagmar (aka Minnie) who I had never heard of before. She was married to Alexander III (aka Sasha) the Tsar of Russia and had her name changed to Maria Feodorovna. She was the mother of my favorite and the last Tsar, Nicholas II. I would love to read a biography of her sometime. Here is some more information about Dagmar. Also I became interested in the two-time prime minister Benjamin Disraeli, as he was such a fascinating character. I will also have to read a biography of this great man and/or check out the BBC miniseries.

My first blog

Let me introduce myself. My name is Rachel (aka Librarygirl) and I'm studying to be a Youth Services Librarian. I love to read both Children and Young Adult literature, in addition to fantasy, historical fiction, biography, mystery, nonfiction etc. Since I'm free this summer (not taking classes) I am spending most of my time catching up on series I haven't had time to read, such as Cassandra Clare's The Mortal Instruments Trilogy or Mary Hoffman's Stravaganza series.

I love to travel though I haven't had money to much lately, apart from going to visit my parents in Arizona. I did get to see some pretty spectacular scenery there: the Painted Desert, Monument Valley, Wupatki National Park, the Grand Canyon, the Meteor Crater, and the San Francisco Mountains. I fell in love with the state the first time I visited. I am hoping to move there once I finish school.

I have been married to my English husband John for nearly 4 1/2 years. He got me interested in English football, or soccer to the the US. We're both fans of Liverpool Football Club, and have been watching the World Cup intensely. I'm sad that both England and the US have been knocked out, but happy to watch Spain and others continue. He's also got me interested in the TV show Top Gear, a British car show and Doctor Who (starting in 2005).