Daniel Handler, of Lemony Snicket fame, wrote this book. And wrote it well. So well that it just won a 2012 Printz Award honor.

Min and Ed broke up. Now Min is delivering to him a box full of the paraphernalia of their relationship. Mementos, ticket stubs, etc. All of the things that we keep when we’re infatuated. And she’s delivering them to Ed with a letter, explaining why, precisely, they broke up. In the process, she relates their entire story. Starting with a description of their first encounter. Here’s part of it:

–and then you asked me my name. I told you it was Min, short for Minerva, Roman goddess of wisdom, because my dad was getting his master’s when I was born, and that, don’t even ask, no you couldn’t, only my grandmother could call me Minnie because, she told me and I imitated her voice, she loved me the best of anyone.

You said your name was Ed. Like I might not know that. (18)

When I picked this up off of the library shelf, I was surprised by how heavy it was. It’s heavy because half of the book is illustrations by Maira Kalman. And they are woven so well into the story that I couldn’t help but love them. WWBU is also replete with references to old movies and actors – all of which Handler made up. Let’s see. Nothing groundbreaking about the plot; it’s the story of a couple meeting and parting ways. So, it’s cliche in the way every relationship is cliche but unique in the way every relationship is unique. And the characters felt real. I liked Min and her group of friends, especially Al. And Joan. And sometimes even Ed.

I can see why this one won a Printz honor. Mostly, I suspect for the clever formatting and illustrations. But also, for the writing and the characters.

Why We Broke Up, by Daniel Handler

Have you read or reviewed this book too? Feel free to jump in with your thoughts or leave a link to your review in the comments.

TOON Books is a delightful line of comics for children. I’m an admitted fan, and I’ve read and reviewed several TOON Books here on The Bluestocking Society, including Jack and the Box, Stinky, Mo and Jo: Fighting Together Forever, Luke on the Loose, Benny and Penny in The Big No-No, Benny and Penny in The Toy Breaker, Zig and Wikki in Something Ate My Homework, Nina in That Makes Me Mad, and Benjamin Bear in Fuzzy Thinking. I enjoyed each of these books, and the two latest offerings from this line are just as delightful.

Zig and Wikki in The Cow, by Nadja Spiegelman & Trade Loeffler

I have to say that Zig and Wikki are two of my favorite TOON characters. Like the other book starring Zig and Wikki, this book has a great story enhanced by real scientific tidbits. Zig and Wikki land on earth to get Zig’s pet fly into an ecosystem. Along the way they learn about ecosystems, flies, dung beetles, cows, and more. It’s fun and it’s educational. And it’s in a graphic novel form. What more could a parent or kid want? Divided into three chapters, this one will leave your grade-schooler wanting more. Luckily, there is also Zig and Wikki in Something Ate My Homework waiting for them.

Chick and Chickie in Play All Day, by Claude Ponti

Chick and Chickie play in this first comic for early readers. The words and concepts are simple. The illustrations cute and minimalist. And there’s some humor over the letter “A” that new readers will surely appreciate. This little book would surely be a winner with most readers just starting out.

TOON Books are stories in comic book form for young readers. The series advisor is Art Spiegelman, author of the well-regarded Maus graphic novels. Each TOON Book has been vetted by educators and is recommended for elementary school-aged children. I love the idea of introducing children to the comic book/graphic novel form and highly recommend TOON Books to early readers.

Check out TOON-Books.com for a great interactive experience and more information about the line.

Sadly, I fell WAY behind on my 2011 reviews. So, occasionally, I’ll be posting mini reviews to help catch up. Though they all deserve their own posts, this will have to do. This, in particular, is an excellent crop of books. Enjoy.

Chains, by Laurie Halse Anderson

Rating:

I really enjoyed this book, but as I read it many months ago, I can’t remember much more that it is about two young slaves, that it takes place during the Revolutionary War, and that I (and the rest of my book club) liked it. I do remember that my book club had a great discussion about slavery and the Revolutionary War. I have the sequel, Forge, on my nightstand, waiting to be read.

I have read two other books by Laurie Halse Anderson that were vastly different from this (Speak and Wintergirls). Apparently she tends to write two kinds of books – historical fiction and “issue” fiction. I’ve liked everything I’ve read by her so far.

These Is My Words, by Nancy E. Turner

Rating:

I could not put this one down. Seriously. I took longer lunch breaks because of it. But, by the end, it didn’t quite come together to be one of my favorite books, as I thought it might. Still. Really great read and first novel by Nancy E. Turner. Be warned that the first 100 pages or so have a series of intense set backs. Intense. But that’s life on the frontier. Both of my book clubs read this in 2011, and the general consensus was love. Lots of love.

The Glass Castle, by Jeannette Walls

Rating:

Okay, yet another book club selection. This is a memoir; a brutal recounting of a neglectful childhood. But I liked it. I liked that, unlike other memoirs I’ve read, Walls seemed to just kind of tell it like it was. And, amazingly, she doesn’t appear to judge her parents for their choices and has come to accept them for who they are. It’s inspiring, too, that Walls managed to rise above a childhood that would be a great excuse for mediocrity. In all, an excellent read.

I Am the Messenger, by Markus Zusak

Rating:

My favorite read of 2011. Hands down. Zusak is clearly a genius. This novel got him his first Printz Award honor. And, I mean, The Book Thief was one of the best books I’d ever read. And often times, authors can’t accomplish such a thing twice. But I Am the Messenger did for me. In fact, I may like this one better. I’m not going to tell you anything about it other than it is vastly different from The Book Thief. But it’s fabulous. It’s the book that I’ve become a disciple for – my go-to book recommendation. So, I recommend it to you. (And I will likely have to do a full post on this one someday.)

Getting the Girl, by Markus Zusak

Rating:

Okay, after all of the effusive praise for Markus Zusak above, I have to tone it down here. I enjoyed this book very much. Cameron Wolfe falls for his brother’s girlfriend. And that complicates things. It is well written and insightful, but I don’t think it compares to the scope or power of The Book Thief and I Am the Messenger. (Note that I’ve basically read Zusak’s novels in reverse chronological order. I wonder if reading them in order would have changed my perceptions.)

The Happiness Project, by Gretchen Rubin

Rating:

This was a really timely read for me. Yes, it’s “stunt fiction.” Gretchen Rubin decided that she would take a year and focus on happiness. For each month of the year, she selected an area of her life and set happiness goals. She tracked her progress a la Benjamin Franklin. And then, afterwards, she turned it into a book, complete with lots of excellent quotations and research about happiness. This book has influenced my thinking and has helped me with the general concept that we have to work on being happy. And, remember, “the days are long, but the years are short.” You too, can start your own happiness project.

The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie, by Alan Bradley

Rating:

Ah. The narrator here is the key. Flavia de Luce is a young girl. Amateur chemist, precocious, smart, and a delight to be with. She goes about solving a rather charming and proper British mystery that cropped up in her backyard. Read it for Flavia, even if you don’t love mysteries. My book club agrees. And Flavia is so famous, she even has her own website.

NurtureShock, by Po Bronson & Ashley Merryman

Rating:

An excellent collection of essays about what the research actually says about raising children. I was surprised that a lot of things that are considered common knowledge are not necessarily backed up by the research or the science. The essays are fascinating and well-written. I would recommend this to every parent.

Have you read any of these books? Which was your favorite?

*Update* Edited to add one last book I finished today.
Here is an abstract of my literary doings in January.

Books Read – January 2012

How Reading Changed My Life, by Anna Quindlen – 1/1/2012
River in the Sea, by Tina Boscha – 1/5/2012
Scarlet, by A.C. Gaughen – 1/7/2012
War Horse, by Michael Morpurgo – 1/8/2012
The Fault in Our Stars, by John Green – 1/10/2012
Emotional Geology, by Linda Gillard – 1/11/2012
I Am Not a Serial Killer, by Dan Wells – 1/16/2012
Jellicoe Road, by Melina Marchetta – 1/18/2012
Persuasion, by Jane Austen – 1/21/2012
Sense & Sensibility, by Jane Austen – 1/23/2012
Bridge to Terabithia, by Katherine Paterson – 1/26/2012
Why We Broke Up, by Daniel Handler – 1/26/2012
Paranormalcy, by Kiersten White – 1/27/2012
Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy, by Gary D. Schmidt – 1/30/2012
One Crazy Summer, by Rita Williams-Garcia – 1/31/2012

January Total = 15
Year-to-Date Total = 15

Yay! Fifteen books in one month is my personal record since I started tracking my reading. And most of them were so good, I can’t even begin to pick a pick of the month. Lots of amazing reads here; War Horse, The Fault in Our Stars, Sense & Sensibility, and Bridge to Terabithia, Lizzie Bright, and One Crazy Summer stand out the most to me though. Great reading month!

Book Club

The Highland Book Club read In the Woods, by Tana French. Unfortunately, I didn’t get this one read in time for the meeting. I’m still working on it though. Up next is The Princess Bride, by William Goldman.

The Third Thursday Book Club had a good discussion of I Capture the Castle, by Dodie Smith. I haven’t read it in a few years, but I remember liking it. And it was fun to discuss it with the others. In February, we’re reading Atonement, by Ian McEwan. I can’t wait to read it. I’m so enchanted with my book club experiences lately, that I blathered on about them for a bit here.

Challenges

I’ve FINALLY made some progress on my challenges! This month I read one Newbery winner, two Newbery honors, one Printz winner, and two Printz honors! Awesomeness.

The Pulitzer Project – 11/84
The Printz Project – 8/13 (+7 Honor books)
The Newberry Project – 21/91 (+11 Honor books)

January Highlights

• I announced the winners of the 2012 ALA Youth Media Awards.
• I started doing a few Sunday Salon posts here and here.
• And, I posted as many reviews as I could for the books I read this month. See the list above.

That’s it. That’s what happened in January. Thanks to everyone who stopped by my blog this month!

I read this tale by Linda Gillard thanks to some impressive bibliovangelizing by Angie at Angieville. I downloaded it onto my Kindle ($.99!) and started reading away.

Rose had a passionate love affair with Gavin that ended badly five years ago. Very badly. And it caused a serious rift with her now-grown daughter, Megan, too. Now she is trying to put her life back together on a remote island of Scotland. She’s determined to live a quiet, solitary, and sane life, until she meets the handsome poet next door.

Okay, my description just doesn’t do the story justice. There was much to admire in this book. The writing was lovely. I was enchanted with the way the words and sentences flowed and, especially, with the poetry inserted here and there.

Also, the setting was perfect. It’s set on the island of North Uist in the Outer Hebrides in Scotland. The descriptions of the ocean and the bleak but beautiful landscape infused the entire book. And the characters were great. Rose is just crazy enough, and I could not get enough of Calum. He was completely adorable.

But, and this is a major but for me, I could not believe the love story. I could not believe that Calum would put up with all of Rose’s baggage. I could not believe that the story ended with the plot point that it did. Gavin just infiltrated the story too much for me. And so, I came away a little unsatisfied. That said, I will likely read more of Gillard’s works. She is clearly a gifted writer, and this was still an impressive first novel.

Emotional Geology, by Linda Gillard

P.S. This book reminded me a lot of Rosy Thornton’s The Tapestry of Love. So, if you liked that one, you’ll likely like this one too.

Have you read or reviewed this book too? Feel free to jump in with your thoughts or leave a link to your review in the comments.