Thursday Library Jaunt

I am very close to my library goal of keeping my items out to less than my age, and if I discount the books the kids checked out on my card I'm probably good already.  Of course, we've also lost a book, but I have hopes that it will turn up tonight somewhere in Nicky's room.

My hold shelf was empty!  Well, except for the Kidz Bop 5 CD, as we continue our death march through the Kidz Bop oeuvre, but that hardly counts.  Two "recommended" books fell into my hands:

• Below Zero, C.J. Box, because I liked the other Box book I read, and
• Touched by an Alien, because I've seen it on a lot of blogs.

Then we grabbed 5 more CDs and headed out into the sunshine.  Kids wanted nothing, but they are still enjoying the return to school libraries.

Total Books from Library Elf (counting all the kid stuff that I'm legally responsible for even if I hope not to read it): 46. Stuff on my card: 46.  Hmm, Amanda's card is showing as inactive; I'd better check that next week.

I'll go sign up for Library Loot this week. That's a weekly event hosted by either Claire from The Captive Reader (this weeks host) or by Marg from Adventures of an Intrepid Reader where bloggers can share their library finds of the week. Some of them make me look restrained.

Kids Today: I Am Nujood, Age 10 and Divorced

My nine year old niece asked me what I was reading (I Am Nujood, Age 10 and Divorced),and I stuttered as I explained, because she's the age of Nujood (about -- we know A's birthday, but N's is vague about her exact age). The idea of nine year olds as appropriate marriage material is horrendous and repulsive, yet it is also a fact of life for many children just as Nujood.

I'm reading the book through two filters, since it's a translation of a book told to an adult, and I did wonder how much of the book was Nujood Ali vs the co-author, Delphine Minoui. The voice and opinions sounded authentically young, but clearly the structure and the pacing was set by Minoui. I don't know how much input the girl had over the text -- was it a series of interviews, did Minoui piece together a lot of what happened, how much could have been a diary if Nujood could write? Heck, how are the proceeds divided?

Regardless, the book gives a clear sense of life in Yemen for poor girls and their families, and how modern life and old customs clash in unpleasant ways. I might offer it to my twelve year old, but I'm not ready to give it to the nine year olds. B

Falling Back in: Game of Cages

It's Fall, and I haven't blogged in over a month. I haven't read much either, which is part of the problem. But both kids have to keep reading logs, and X even needs to do a reading journal, and I'll have much more backbone forcing this upon them if I'm responsible for my own log. So there. I'm back!

I finished Harry Connolly's Game of Cages: A Twenty Palaces Novel, the 2nd book about Ray Lilly, ex-con and wooden man, whose life was ripped apart when his best friend met up with a magic predator. Now Ray is a pawn in the Twenty Palaces, the organization dedicated to keeping those magical beasties away from our earth, but he's very uncomfortable with what he has to do for them.

The characters in Connolly's stories seem very real, especially Lilly. He does a good job of showing Ray's emotions and growth through his actions, especially since the book is told from Ray's viewpoint. This is a very violent book, with a lot of death and fear; I don't recommend it for the squeamish although I do recommend it in general. I'll be looking for Connolly's next book.B+