The Boy Who Killed Demons by Dave Zeltserman

Summary (courtesy of Goodreads):  “My name’s Henry Dudlow. I’m fifteen and a half. And I’m cursed. Or damned. Take your pick. The reason? I see demons.”

So begins the latest novel by horror master Dave Zeltserman. The setting is quiet Newton, Massachussetts, where nothing ever happens. Nothing, that is, until two months after Henry Dudlow’s 13th birthday, when his neighbor, Mr. Hanley, suddenly starts to look . . . different. While everyone else sees a balding man with a beer belly, Henry suddenly sees a nasty, bilious, rage-filled demon.

Once Henry catches onto the real Mr. Hanley, he starts to see demons all around him, and his boring, adolescent life is transformed. There’s no more time for friends or sports or the lovely Sally Freeman—instead Henry must work his way through ancient texts and hunt down the demons before they steal any more innocent children. And if hunting demons is hard at any age, it’s borderline impossible when your parents are on your case, and your grades are getting worse, and you can’t tell anyone about your chosen mission.

And here's what I thought:  I really enjoyed this book, and found it to be a nice mix of a believable main character, an interesting take on the whole seeing-demons idea, and a bit of wry humor. Although the main character seemed a bit mature for his age, I reasoned that that was because of what was going on his life.   As you can see from the summary, Henry can see demons, and as a result, is determined not only to educate himself about them, but to hunt them down.   Henry has a clear voice, and by that, I mean that you can completely envision this kid in your head.   He makes observations not only about demons, but about high school life, his parents, girls, etc.  I liked that he thought out a lot of his approaches to the issue of seeing demons.   For example, he wants to educate himself about them, so he starts to learn German so he can translate an antique book about demons.   He's on his own with this whole thing, as no one else around him seems to notice that there are demons living in their midst.

I will admit, though, that this wasn't a super-scary book.    I worried about what was going to happen to Henry, and the people around him, but I never felt really scared.   This is technically a horror book, so maybe it's just because I'm desensitized by Buffy, Constantine, etc etc.    However, overall, it was an enjoyable story and a page-turner.

First lines:  My name's Henry Dudlow.  I'm fifteen and a half, and I'm cursed.  Or damned.  Take your pick.   The reason?  I see demons.

Smoke Gets in Your Eyes and Other Lessons from the Crematory by Caitlin Doughty

Summary (courtesy of Goodreads):  Most people want to avoid thinking about death, but Caitlin Doughty—a twenty-something with a degree in medieval history and a flair for the macabre—took a job at a crematory, turning morbid curiosity into her life’s work. Thrown into a profession of gallows humor and vivid characters (both living and very dead), Caitlin learned to navigate the secretive culture of those who care for the deceased.

Smoke Gets in Your Eyes tells an unusual coming-of-age story full of bizarre encounters and unforgettable scenes. Caring for dead bodies of every color, shape, and affliction, Caitlin soon becomes an intrepid explorer in the world of the dead. She describes how she swept ashes from the machines (and sometimes onto her clothes) and reveals the strange history of cremation and undertaking, marveling at bizarre and wonderful funeral practices from different cultures.

Her eye-opening, candid, and often hilarious story is like going on a journey with your bravest friend to the cemetery at midnight. She demystifies death, leading us behind the black curtain of her unique profession. And she answers questions you didn’t know you had: Can you catch a disease from a corpse? How many dead bodies can you fit in a Dodge van? What exactly does a flaming skull look like?

Honest and heartfelt, self-deprecating and ironic, Caitlin's engaging style makes this otherwise taboo topic both approachable and engrossing. Now a licensed mortician with an alternative funeral practice, Caitlin argues that our fear of dying warps our culture and society, and she calls for better ways of dealing with death (and our dead).


And here's what I thought:  This book would make a good companion to Stiff by Mary Roach.  I had read Stiff a while ago , and this book gave an interesting, first-person experience that further widened what I learned about customs surrounding the deceased.   Caitlin Doughty has a writing style that is warm (and sometimes humorous), but she's very respectful about death.  She gives a lot of information about the history of different traditions, and also explains why things are done a certain way (like, how bodies can be prepared, etc.).

I don't know if this book would be for all readers, but I enjoyed it.   I felt like I learned a lot, and it was an interesting read.  Doughty has a no-nonsense approach to her writing, and a good sense of humor about what crematory professionals and morticians can encounter in their work.


First lines:  A girl always remembers the first corpse she shaves.  It is the only event in her life more awkward than her first kiss or the loss of her virginity.  The hands of time will never move quite so slowly as when you are standing over the dead body of an elderly man with a pink plastic razor in your hand.

The value of a public library

I'm sure there are a lot of readers out there who know the value of their public library.  I'd like to assume that all people who read a lot are active library users.   However, I know better than to do that; I know that there are a lot of people who are active readers who don't visit their libraries often.

As a librarian, I have encountered many people who say things like, "I didn't know I could get that at my library," or "I didn't know I could do that at my library."    Libraries do their best to get the word out about all they offer, but sometimes, it helps to get a bit of a boost.   This article addresses the value of public libraries in many ways, focusing on how libraries not only educate and entertain, but how they provide access to everyone.

If you haven't been to your public library lately, I'd encourage you to make that a New Year's resolution.   You just might be surprised at what you find!

Yes, you can find Legos in the Library

Reading Harder in 2015

I had told myself I wouldn't do any book challenges this year.   After all, it's rare that I finish them ... and in 2014, I got bogged down with other stuff and just wasn't blogging ... and I forgot I had a challenge.

But then, I saw the 2015 Book Riot Read Harder Challenge.   If I'm determined to get back into blogging in 2015, then this challenge  might just be the kick in the pants that I need.    And, just to up my own ante, I joined the group on Goodreads.

Reading challenge accepted!!!    Happy New Year, everyone!

Getting ready for a new year of blogging in 2015

It's funny, how back in September, I was thinking I would get right back into book blogging .... and here I am, on December 29th.  Not back yet.   But I'm thinking that 2015 might be a good year to re-start, and maybe revise a bit.

I'll be taking a class on teen literature in 2015, so I'm looking forward to reading some new books (and blogging my reviews).   I'm also vowing to read more of the books I had added to my "TBR Jar" in 2015 (instead of always reaching for the shiny, new books at the library).  And speaking of libraries, I think I might just throw in some posts about library-land, considering it's a significant part of my life.

Farewell, 2014 ---- I'm looking ahead!

Review: Big LIttle Lies by Liane Moriarty

Summary (courtesy of Goodreads):  Sometimes it’s the little lies that turn out to be the most lethal. . . .   A murder… . . . a tragic accident… . . . or just parents behaving badly?
What’s indisputable is that someone is dead.   But who did what?
  Big Little Lies follows three women, each at a crossroads:   Madeline is a force to be reckoned with. She’s funny and biting, passionate, she remembers everything and forgives no one. Her ex-husband and his yogi new wife have moved into her beloved beachside community, and their daughter is in the same kindergarten class as Madeline’s youngest (how is this possible?). And to top it all off, Madeline’s teenage daughter seems to be choosing Madeline’s ex-husband over her. (How. Is. This. Possible?).
Celeste is the kind of beautiful woman who makes the world stop and stare. While she may seem a bit flustered at times, who wouldn’t be, with those rambunctious twin boys? Now that the boys are starting school, Celeste and her husband look set to become the king and queen of the school parent body. But royalty often comes at a price, and Celeste is grappling with how much more she is willing to pay.   New to town, single mom Jane is so young that another mother mistakes her for the nanny. Jane is sad beyond her years and harbors secret doubts about her son. But why? While Madeline and Celeste soon take Jane under their wing, none of them realizes how the arrival of Jane and her inscrutable little boy will affect them all.

And here's what I thought:  I wound up enjoying this a heck of a lot more than I thought I would.   I had read another book by this author, The Husband's Secret, and thought it was ok, but forgettable.   This book, on the other hand, was a page-turner!

I think I might have enjoyed this book partly because it felt like a voyeuristic glance into the lives of three women who are completely unlike me.  I liked how the author gave us the stories of all three main female characters, so that you get the whole story coming from their different viewpoints, with some of their own stories about their lives, as well.   Contributing to this are the different viewpoints from other characters, even if they are quite minor, which are sprinkled throughout the book.   There is a constant referring to a horrible incident on trivia night, but you don't get there until almost the end of the story, so it's a constant buildup throughout the book.   I liked the pacing, and I kept turning the pages because I was just dying to know what was going to happen (and then, when I got to it, let out a big gasp .... out loud, waking up my husband, who was sleeping next to me while I was reading in bed, staying up past my usual bedtime, and continuing to turn the pages even though my left arm was getting pins and needles).

Anyway, back to this story ----

Is it serious literature?  No.  And it's not meant to be.   But, I found it to be a really good story, with characters that I cared about, and could clearly envision.  In fact, the author does a great job with the minor characters, and I found I could clearly see them in my head, as well.   I got caught up enough in this book that I was sneaking a few pages of reading when I was supposed to be doing housework (which really, can always wait another half-hour, right?), just because I really wanted to know what was going to happen to the characters.   This was a fun read, but one that also made me think a bit about relationships --- ones between husbands and wives, and ones between friends.

 

First lines:  "That doesn't sound like a school trivia night," said Mrs. Patty Ponder to Marie Antoinette.  "That sounds like a riot."

I'm back! And to begin my back-to-posting, I'm sharing this about using your Library

I got caught up in my library's Summer Read program ... and all of the other additional responsibilities that got put on my plate.   So, I let blogging slide.   But, I have read some good books lately, and plan on getting back into blogging.

Photo courtesy of Book Riot post

So, to start my back-to-posting, I wanted to share this wonderful post over at BookRiot which shows everyone 6 ways to become a Power User of the Public Library.    I'm sharing this because not only am I a Librarian (so, of course, I want everyone to use their local library), but also because even before I got my MLIS, I was a library power user.    And, so I want to make everyone who might read this aware of how much their library can do for them.

Here's an example from the Book Riot post: 3. Make use of the Interlibrary Loan System – and respect itSince the public library can only carry so much, since its focus is not on being an archive or repository for all books, and because the collection is tailored to the community being served, sometimes you want a book and it’s no where to be found. Rather than request it for purchase, ask about interlibrary loan.The interlibrary loan system (ILL) is a country-wide, interconnected system of libraries that agree to lend items to one another. The libraries within the system include public, academic/college, and special libraries, meaning the pool of available titles is massive. If you’re looking for a rare book or a specialty title, your library may be able to track it down and request it for you via ILL.

I know I posted a long time ago about interlibrary loan, but it's something that I like to remind people about.   Just because you don't see something on a library's shelves does not mean it's not available.   First, it could just be checked out by someone else.   Ask a staff member to check this -- because if something is checked out, they can put it on hold for you.   And if your library doesn't own something, ask if you can get it through interlibrary loan.    It's almost impossible for a library to own every single book, or every single CD or DVD, etc.   Unless it's the Library of Congress .... and that library doesn't work like a public library.   However, interlibrary loan lets libraries share their collections with each other --- and it's pretty easy.   And, most of the time, it's free.

So, if you ever wanted to know some of what your Library can do for you, go check out the Book Riot post and then go to your own library and see what kind of services they have.   :)