I think I'm ready to call it quits. You've been fickle and needy from the start, with your rain one day and sunshine the next, never letting me know if I would need an umbrella or sunscreen at the t-ball game. Speaking of t-ball, and school programs, and field trips, and fundraisers, and all the other last ditch efforts to make this spring and school year memorable...I'm done with them, too. I can barely read the entries on my calendar and there's very little space left on the white board where I try to corral my to-do lists. I didn't even get to read very much. So I'm just calling it. We only have ten more days together anyway. It was never going to work long term. I'm going to just go ahead and skip to June, which means I get to read more. I'll be happier with June.
Sincerely, me
The Ship Beyond Time
Young Adult by Heidi Heilig
This sequel to The Girl From Everywhere did not disappoint in finishing the story that Heilig started. While the writing is that tiny bit of clunky that is acceptable in YA books, I was grateful also for the tiny bit of predictability as well. Heilig gives enough twists and turns, as there should be in a book about a ship that travels through time and to imaginary lands, to keep it interesting. I just find a happy ending comforting, especially after the first one was an unexpected cliff hanger. In this one, the main character, a girl named Nix, is caught between two potential true loves, as well as between helping her father and saving the world. Nix is a strong female lead, as compared to other characters in similar situations (ahem, Twilight). I think this is the last book in the series, but I would read more by Heilig, and my students like them as well. I needed this kind of book for May--one with suspense but not so much that I had to read it every second. I just couldn't. Dang it.
Memoir by Amy Poehler
I must say I loooooved Tina Fey's Bossypants, in which her voice is practically audible through the words on the page (without actually being an audiobook, which makes me queasy to listen to). I don't think Amy P's voice translates quite so well, but it may be that I don't follow her as an actress as much. I picked this up from my NEW favorite place, the employee recommendation section at the library (thank you for the curating, librarians), and thought it would be similar to Tina's, which it is in style but not in substance. I suppose, again, it's good that it was an easy and not mesmerizing read, since May is such jerk right now. But I just didn't identify with the anecdotes or find the strong feminist leaning here as I did with Tina. (See how we're on first name basis now? That's me and Tina, after her book. Not me and Amy P.) I will, however, name drop like Amy P. does and say it was just all right for me, like Randy on American Idol.
I guess I'll start one of the other books that is overdue at the library, and hope that May will respect my wishes and leave me alone so I can read them in peace.
