Magical Realism » Birdbrain(ed) Book Blog

REVIEW: A Greyhound of a Girl by Roddy Doyle

Posted by Anastasia on May 1, 2012 3 Responses »

May 012012

005. A Greyhound of a Girl by Roddy Doyle
Publication: Amulet Books (May 1, 2012), originally published 2011, eARC, 208pp / ISBN 1419701681
Genre: Children’s Magical Realism (could be MG, too)

Read: January 10, 1012
Source: Publisher via NetGalley (thank you!)

Summary from Amazon:

Mary O’Hara is a sharp and cheeky 12-year-old Dublin schoolgirl who is bravely facing the fact that her beloved Granny is dying. But Granny can’t let go of life, and when a mysterious young woman turns up in Mary’s street with a message for her Granny, Mary gets pulled into an unlikely adventure. The woman is the ghost of Granny’s own mother, who has come to help her daughter say good-bye to her loved ones and guide her safely out of this world. She needs the help of Mary and her mother, Scarlett, who embark on a road trip to the past. Four generations of women travel on a midnight car journey. One of them is dead, one of them is dying, one of them is driving, and one of them is just starting out.

Review

I’ve read a few other Roddy Doyle books before, all meant for adults and all of the literary fiction type. A Greyhound of a Girl is almost completely different: it’s meant for children, and it’s more magical realism than anything else. Like all of Roddy Doyle’s books, however, Greyhound is about family, and about navigating the rough waters that come with family. And that’s great! What’s not so great is basically everything else. Continue reading »

MINI-REVIEWS: Haint Misbehavin’, The Tail of Emily Windsnap, Pizzicato

Posted by Anastasia on March 26, 2012 No Responses »

Mar 262012

041. Haint Misbehavin’ by Maureen Hardegree
Publication: Bell Bridge Books (June 6, 2010), ebook, 206pp / ISBN 1935661930
Genre: MG (maybe young YA?) Urban Fantasy

Read: February 28, 2012
Source: Freebie

Mini-Review

I liked this one a LOT more than I thought I would, based on that horrible cover. It reminds me a lot of a Judy Blume book for some reason (maybe the fighting siblings/bullying aspect?) only there are ghosts and hauntings and it’s set in the South. Heather is a tough character to like– she’s sympathetic because her sister is so horrible to her and because of the whole “this ghost kid is ruining my life” thing, but she’s also really whiny and awkward in a way that makes you want to cringe. She spends a lot of the book running around denying who she is, hiding from the bullies, and being basically completely clueless. So I can understand why some people didn’t like her! Continue reading »

The Sunday Salon (Mar. 11): Tiny reviews of Death of an Obnoxious Tourist, Penumbra, Kitchen Confidential

Posted by Anastasia on March 11, 2012 7 Responses »

Mar 112012

Okay, so here’s the deal: I’m getting a little tired of my usual blogging practices. Normally I write 3-10 reviews a week, depending on how far behind I am. Keeping up with that? Is kind of tiring. Especially since I want to try doing other, non-review posts sometimes. Writing the reviews, though, takes up most of my blogging time and that’s annoying.

What I’m going to try to do instead is sort of like what I did back in November/December when I was trying to read a book a day: I’ll do tiny reviews of the books I’ve read in the previous week for my Salon post. Longer reviews (and therefor separate review posts) will be saved for review books and books that I just have a lot of feelings for. And then hopefully I’ll have more time/energy to write other blog posts! Like, say, more tips for blogger newbies posts. Or reading journal-y posts! Or other exciting stuff!

Basically I guess I just don’t want to be trapped into doing a million review posts a week. Because feeling trapped is not fun, and I want to have fun! Continue reading »

REVIEW: A Drowned Maiden’s Hair by Laura Amy Schlitz

Posted by Anastasia on February 15, 2012 6 Responses »

Feb 152012

029. A Drowned Maiden’s Hair: A Melodrama by Laura Amy Schlitz
Publication: Candlewick (March 2, 2010), originally published 2006, ebook, 389pp / ISBN 0763629308
Genre: MG Historical Fiction

Read: February 8-10, 2011
Source: Bought (Amazon)

Summary from Amazon:

Maud Flynn is known at the orphanage for her impertinence. So when the charming Miss Hyacinth chooses her to take home, the girl is pleased but baffled, until she learns of her new role: helping to stage elaborate séances for bereaved patrons. As Maud is drawn deeper into the deception, playing the “secret child,” she is torn between her need to please and her growing conscience. It takes a shocking betrayal to make clear just how heartless her so-called guardians are. Filled with fascinating details of turn-of-the-century spiritualism and page-turning suspense, this novel from Newbery Medalist Laura Amy Schlitz features a feisty heroine whom readers will not soon forget.

Review

Things I thought this book was about: ghosts, death, people drowning in some sort of romanticized/gothic romance sort of way, angst and sadness and other things I’m scared of.

Things this book is actually about: ghosts and death and little kids drowning, Spiritualism, con artists, family and love and adorable snarky orphan girls kicking butt! Continue reading »

MINI-REVIEWS: Shades of Simon Gray, The Wander Year, Flawless

Posted by Anastasia on February 14, 2012 No Responses »

Feb 142012

026. Shades of Simon Gray by Joyce McDonald
Publication: Laurel Leaf (May 13, 2003), Paperback, 272pp / ISBN 0440228042
Genre: YA Fiction (magical realism?)

Read: February 4-5, 2012
Source: Bought (UBS)

Mini-Review

I tend to buy books based on whether I like the cover or not, which sometimes bites me in the butt. I bought Shades of Simon Gray because I liked the cover, and my butt was only a little bit bitten. Shades of Simon Gray reminds me of a Lois Duncan novel, only with a little less thriller and a little more “growing up and finding out what sort of person you are.” With some magical realism/time travel/ghost things thrown in. I liked that the characters all had different reactions to the events in the book– some of them decided to do the right thing, to take responsibility for the bad thing(s) they’ve done (without actually telling anyone they were the ones who did the bad thing(s)) and to try to make up for it, while others thought they hadn’t done anything wrong at all. It was a nice spectrum of realistic reactions and personalities and whatever, and I liked it. The added touch of spooky atmosphere, weird biblical plagues, and ghosts just made reading it even more fun.

A book with similar themes (minus the magical realism) would be Nothing But the Truth by Avi, if that helps any. Continue reading »

REVIEW: The Green Man by Michael Bedard

Posted by Anastasia on January 13, 2012 4 Responses »

Jan 132012

003. The Green Man by Michael Bedard
Publication: Tundra Books (April 10, 2012), eARC, 320pp / ISBN 1770492852
Genre: YA Magical Realism/Fantasy

Read: Jan 2-3, 2012
Source: NetGalley

This book will be released on April 10, 2012!

Review

I hadn’t realized that The Green Man is a sequel to another book when I requested it at NetGalley, but in retrospect I don’t think it matters all that much. Apparently it’s got some of the same characters from the first book in it, but the POV is mostly from a new character, so I don’t feel too annoyed that I read this one first before reading the previous book.

O’s aunt Emily is weird and probably crazy, but in the best sort of way. She’s a poet who owns a bookstore, and though O has reservations about spending the summer with Emily at The Green Man she wants to help her out after Emily’s recent heart attack. What O finds at the bookshop and about aunt Emily’s past, leads to a more exciting, magical, and poetry-filled summer than O ever expected. Continue reading »

REVIEW: Weetzie Bat by Francesca Lia Block

Posted by Anastasia on December 19, 2011 6 Responses »

Dec 192011

162. Weetzie Bat by Francesca Lia Block
Publication: HarperCollins (October 6, 2009), originally published 1989, ebook, 131pp / ISBN 0060736259
Genre: YA Fiction (Magical Realism)

Read: December 7-8, 2011
Source: Singapore Public Library

Summary from Amazon:

Weetzie Bat lived in a fairy-tale land of glitter, glitz, and coolness. She had a bleachd-blonde flat-top and pink sunglasses, and cruised around town with her best friend Dirk and her Slinkster Dog pooch in a ’55 Pontiac named Jerry.

Weetzie loved L.A., with its plastic palm tree wallets and tomahawks, its cheap cheese and bean burritos, and its surfer dudes. But still, something was missing. So Weetzie made three wishes, and they all came true…

Review

I’d previously read Francesca Lia Block’s The Rose and the Beast, which I sort of remember liking-but-not-really. I read THAT because I’d heard of this book, though, so when I found Weetzie Bat at the library I was like “score! Now I can finally see what the big deal is about this book.” Continue reading »