Princess Princess Ever After by Katie O'Neill

Turning all the fairy princess conventions on their head, a girl is saved from imprisonment, a boy is saved from danger, a town is saved from destruction, and a kingdom is saved from evil.

A brave princess (with truly awesome hair) starts the action by saving a maiden trapped in a tower. Learning independence and self-sufficiency, the pair go about doing other brave and wonderful things. And fall in love.

There's a lot packed into the 53 pages of this graphic novel, and it's done well. I laughed, I was surprised, and I was very impressed by O'Neill's bold ambition in the story.

Every Exquisite Thing by Matthew Quick

Nanette can't keep pleasing everyone else at the detriment of her own desires, but can she face the disappointment of her teammates and parents? Alex has decided to fight back against the bullies, but that might not be the best way to express individualism.

Have you ever read a book that absolutely changed your life? For the characters in this YA novel, a cult classic, out-of-print paperback leads to a different perspective on being one of the generic human crowd. But how much can you "quit" and still be alright?

This book isn't as dark as Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock, but it's certainly no spring June walk in the park. Metamorphosis is hard work and not always pretty. (Let's hope Quick does better in handling the enthusiasm of his readers than his character Booker did.)

I adore Quick's writing, and his characters are amazingly nuanced, flawed and very relatable. These kids are searching for something - searching for themselves - and the way they work through it brings love and light but also unpleasantness and drama to their lives.

The Invoice by Jonas Karlsson

This Swedish satire will have you pondering your own External Happiness score and the price due for the universe's pleasures.

A young man receives an extraordinarily large bill from a vaguely governmental-sounding agency. Of course, it's junk mail and he ignores it. Until the next bill comes with an additional service charge added.

He soon strikes up a strange friendship - maybe even flirtation - with the woman at the agency who's assigned to his remediation call. But the more they talk, the higher and higher his bill total climbs.

It's an odd, intense little book (pocket-sized and just 200 pages). I wanted to know what would happen, but I was at the same time off-put by the seriousness of the story's oppressive bureaucracy. It's a nightmare: he can't escape an enormous government bill despite the fact he knew nothing about it. Will they kill him? What is the punishment for exceeding the threshold?

Dark Knight: A True Batman Story by Paul Dini and Eduardo Risso

When a comics-industry professional writes his memoirs, there's probably a law that it has to be in graphic novel form. But unlike the common awkward kid's story of how comics saved me, Paul Dini's is an adult tale of how comics pulled him from the brink. 

Dini was already an acclaimed writer when he was brutally attacked and nearly killed in a mugging. His injuries weren't just physical - in addition to his skull broken in multiple places, he was deeply traumatized by the attack and spiraled into a frightening depression.

But Batman understands because he's got a dark side, too, and he doesn't let it rule him. He's still on the side of good, and Batman helps Dini see that he can beat back the nightmares by doing what he's always done: writing good stories for great characters.

This is a fantastic way to tell this specific story - since most of the action takes place inside Dini's head, his thoughts and hallucinations are vividly depicted as appropriately twisted comic book characters. It's dark, but also hopeful and very well done.

Blackout: Remembering the Things I Drank to Forget by Sarah Hepola

Everybody drinks, but Sarah DRANK; she drank until blackout, and she did it a lot. So when she decides enough is enough, can she give it up? And who will she be without the bravery alcohol offers?

Hepola is the personal essays editor for Salon.com and that experience shows in this book. It's serious and well written, honest and upfront without being maudlin or defensive or sickly sweet. It's also very funny in places.

I really enjoyed the book, and I learned a lot about the alcoholic blackout - Hepola gives some very interesting medical, scientific information about the brain and it's capacities. It's frightening to recognize what happens during a blackout, and how we probably don't even recognize it in others.

Find the Good: Unexpected Life Lessons from a Small-Town Obituary Writer by Heather Lende

After interviewing innumerable families in their times of great grief and discovering wonderful and unexpected things about the people in her town, author Heather Lende offers a hopeful, encouraging text about living the rest of our lives looking forward and looking up.

This book is a quick read - either consumed in one sitting or in morsels an essay at a time - full of sparkling stories of remarkable people. The author lives in a harsh Alaskan town full of fisherman, and she's found that you don't have to look too far to find a notable story about everyone you meet. From the fisherman whose tragic death inspired safety measures that may save others to the "homeless" lady who left to serve Christ in England and the daughter transporting her mother one final time across the ferry - these are the kind of people you see and meet in your town, too. It's just that Lende's made a habit to look for the connections and the stories in us all.

It's a habit of positivity, and she believes you can do it too.

I Regret Nothing by Jen Lancaster

When Jen and her friends go on a girls-getaway vacation, their forty-something "adult spring break" is way more sedate than it might have been 25 years prior. This realization spurs Jen to contemplate her life from middle age (ack!) and begin a bucket list.

I've read several of Jen's books, and since we're roughly the same age her references and remembrances usually hit close to my own. If you've read The Tao of Martha you know that Jen will go to odd and improbable ends for self-improvement (and self-sabotage), so her "bucket list" projects bring lots of laughs but also many revelations.

Jen finds a new hobby, starts a business, tries to make sense of her food habits, rides a bike, and travels among other pursuits. I always enjoy her stories, as they mix serious with absurd. She's not afraid to be the butt of the joke, and you've got to give kudos to her husband for his overall geniality. 

The House at the End of Hope Street by Menna Van Praag

In this hopeful novel, several women at wit's end finds themselves on an unknown doorstep and at the start of a mystical journey to find a better future.

The house itself is magic (in a Mary Poppins kind of way), and accepts entry by women with no other options. Over time, nearly every woman of note in science, literature, and politics has paid a short stay at the house, and the haunted pictures on all the walls prove it. Along with the house's custodian (an 82-year-old woman with her own secret dilemma), the historical women from the pictures offer advice and wisdom to the current inhabitants: a defeated and grief-stricken college student, an aging and lovelorn actress, and a spicy Portuguese singer with a dark secret.

The storyline moves quickly, rotating between the four women's stories but also providing perspective from other characters. The action takes place over just three months, but sometimes the story takes a hop of a week or more to pull the narrative forward. I really enjoyed this novel, and it held some fun, pleasant surprises for me. It's a lighthearted book that's encouraging and bright without becoming saccharine.

The Tao of Martha: My Year of LIVING, or Why I'm Never Getting All That Glitter Off of the Dog by Jen Lancaster

Most adult women fall into two classes: those who want to be Martha Stewart, and those who are horrified by that idea. Even Martha's daughter is in on the joke with "Whatever, Martha." But you have to admit that if you want to do something right (fold a fitted sheet, grow roses, organize the pantry, throw a baby shower), Martha's got the checklist and recommendations. So it's not surprising that when Jen Lancaster decided to make changes to run her household more efficiently, she turned to Martha Stewart's counsel.

Insane ill-trained animals, drawers and cupboards shoved full of disorganized crap, and a garden that barely grows even with professional supervision - these are the hallmarks of Lancaster's home. But she's also the chick you want to have cocktails with (or get invited to one of her parties) because she's always got a good story featuring her own ineptitude. I love her books precisely because she's so relatably messed up and funny.

In the course of a year Jen hilariously agrees with Martha, disagrees with Martha, skews very far from the mission and then comes back around again. Life happens in the meantime, and eventually she builds her own Tao of Martha (and Tao of Maisy, Jen's dog) based on determining what's overkill, what's appropriate, what's worth the time and trouble, and what actually makes life "a good thing."

And you'll get to enjoy the journey without spending a whole paycheck at The Container Store or making a gift box from an acorn!

Wifey

by Judy Blume

Recently, there was a list of 40 Trashy Novels You Must Read Before You Die.  For the most part, it was entertaining to see which had already made the cut in my life.  Also fascinating were those that did not.  As a children's librarian, I've read my fair share of Judy Blume's collection.  The gamut of romance novels for adults has also been run.  Somehow, Wifey slipped through the cracks.  All in all, I'm pretty sure that Jackie Collins influenced Ms. Blume on this one.   This is no preteen guide to life.  When someone tells you Blume wrote an adult novel, they are not kidding.

A pretty, bored housewife discovers within herself a desire to banish the sexual repression that has dogged her life.  In an era when casual sex was becoming less taboo, she explores her fantasies to the brink.   Wifey has little respect for her domineering husband and his static sexual choices.  She remembers the excitement of her youth and the timidity she felt towards exploration with her boyfriend.  When opportunity knocks, Wifey opens wide the door to her own personal sexual-revolution.

In fewer than 300 pages, Blume rockets her main character from repression to full understanding of her choices.  Tag along as Wifey rides her fantasies through all the phases of reality, with or without approval from others.

No Kidding: Women Writers on Bypassing Parenthood, edited by Henriette Mantel

A lot of ink is spilled discussing the myriad of experiences of parenthood - but what of non-parenthood? Those who remain childless? Mantel has brought together a huge number of female writers without children to discuss (and often comically riff on) their childless state. You'll recognize many famous names, but lesser-known authors also have valuable contributions.

I thought the book was a bit too long (250 pages), as I found about two-thirds of the way through that I had stopped hearing anything new - that writers were just repeating what another had said previously.

But I found a lot to relate with, also. Some are childless 100% by choice, others simply didn't have kids by chance, bad timing or lack of opportunity. A few have regrets, but there's really a commendably wide variety of experiences and emotions expressed here.

Me and You

by Genevieve Cote

Two best friends long to be like one another.  Children who are learning about friendship and how to be a good friend will learn about being true to one's self.  Many common objects are used to allow the duo to emulate each other.  The watercolor style images are actually mixed media, and they evoke a calm feel even when the friends experience a mild catastrophe.  The descriptive text creates visual ideas that are more complex than what is typical for this category of picture book. Tails that are "curly as a lemon twist" and "fluffy as cotton candy" made this even more ideal to be read during the week of our local agricultural fair. 

Wild Delicate Seconds: 29 Wildlife Encounters, Black Bears to Bumble Bees by Charles Finn

Each essay is brief, so I was tempted to gobble up another and another, but I think they'd be better savored one or two at a time. Fans of Aldo Leopold will swoon - these are similar in tone, and perhaps more accessible (less scholarly) than his Sand County essays.

While not all of his 29 creature encounters are native to Wisconsin, local nature enthusiasts still will appreciate his reflective, observational style. The language is gorgeous, and Finn has a knack for simile. My only criticism may be that he's a bit heavy-handed with the religious, spiritual end of his reverie - but Finn's is an easy-going kind of "gee whiz, observing nature sure proves there must be a higher power!"

Steal Like an Artist by Austin Kleon

Looking for inspiration? The advice and approval that will push you forward in writing, art, quilting, music, etc? The subhead on this book is "10 Things Nobody Told You About Being Creative" and while it's oriented toward the arts, I think many of Kleon's creative ideas can carry over into more mundane aspects of life, work, and leadership, too.

Kleon says the book began life as a series of ideas and doodles on index cards, and it's a small, loosely designed book with to-the-point examples so you can easily pick it up, grab some inspiration, and set it down again. It's full of sentiments you probably know (don't dwell on negative criticism, seek out positive inspiration) but it's refreshing to hear them again. Ever notice how some things ring especially true and loud JUST when you need to hear it?

I read this book in about 15 minutes, and found tons of cool things to read aloud to Kristine because I couldn't keep it to myself. I'm going to add a copy of this book to my studio bookshelf; it's a great set of ideas, and presented well.

It's So Easy (And Other Lies) by Duff McKagan

This is one of the best rock memoirs I've read, seriously. Duff tells it like it was, he owns it (good and bad), and he's found a way to be funny and eloquent about his own debauched life.

There's no reason he shouldn't be dead: his pancreas exploded from alcohol abuse, and tons of his friends died from addictions and AIDS. But somehow Duff McKagan skirted the edge of the abyss and lived to tell.

If you like Guns n' Roses, you'll enjoy the story. But it's actually his writing about post-pancreatitis recovery and his family that make this story such a gem. Additionally, it's amazing how many now-famous people Duff grew up with in Seattle and became friends with in Los Angeles; but he doesn't resort to name-dropping - he really just tells his own story, but with this amazing cast of characters and cameos.

(I'm putting this one near the top of my favorite rock books list - just behind Nikki Sixx's "The Heroin Diaries" and "I Am Ozzy" by Ozzy Osbourne)

The Widower's Tale by Julia Glass

Percival Darling's adjustment to retirement isn't what he thought it would be. His grown daughter is back, her life in shambles. He has somehow been talked into allowing his beloved barn to be converted into a daycare center - which also means his skinny-dipping days in the pond are numbered. Plus, he's met a woman who reminds him (for the first time in decades) that he has baser urges. It's a book about the quirkiness of families and the inevitable yet unexpected life changes we all face.

I absolutely loved this book! Can't make any bones about it. Percy's a cranky treasure, educated and caustic, sarcastic and curmudgeonly, and yet soft and squishy at the center. He's not the kind of guy many people feel warmly toward, so it makes his name even funnier: everybody sounds like they're saying, "Percy, darling!"

Beyond the titular character, there are several other first-person storylines: a gay teacher at the daycare, Percy's Harvard-student grandson, and a illegal immigrant worker. There's a lot going on in the tight-knit cast of characters, but you come to love and enjoy all these people and their eccentricities.

The Night Bookmobile by Audrey Niffenegger

One night, when walking aimlessly, Alexandra happens across a Winnebago filled with books. But not just any books - this is a bookmobile filled with every book she's ever read.

I was disarmed by this lovely, gothic tale: a love letter to book lovers. It's a strange tale, unexpected and yet really beautiful, with slightly awkward illustrations. It's not perfect, and so it somehow feels more real.

It's the kind of story that makes you think. What's on my bookmobile? Who is my librarian? And are they proud of my collection?

King of Screwups by K.L. Going

Here's the pitch: spoiled rich teen gets caught screwing on dad's desk on the first page. He gets thrown out of the house, and he has to go live in a trailer park with his cross-dressing uncle. Let's just say I expected big things from this book.

And I wasn't exactly disappointed - just differently entertained than I'd thought.

Liam is a screwup, but really - right from the start - the reader can see that it's not so much his fault. Everything's not wine and roses in the mansion, and eventually, everything's not terrible in the trailer. Imagine that!

Liam is a girlie-boy who loves fashion and knows clothes. He's his model-mama's boy ... although he's also straight. I'm not sure I can see a lot of teen boys diving right into this book - although I do know several teenage girls who might swoon a bit.

I enjoyed it, but I'd had a different book imagined in my head before I started ...

Handling Sin by Michael Malone

Raleigh Hayes is a solid, conservative, thoughtful, civic-minded insurance agent. He's plotted and planned his life to be risk-reduced and bland - but he's about to realize you just can't count on everybody else playing by your rules.

His divorced, defrocked father just escaped from the hospital, bought a Cadillac, and took off for New Orleans with a young black woman. He's left in his wake a list of crazy, unexplained tasks for Raleigh to perform in order to preserve his inheritance.

The task list pushes Raleigh into a wild, scavenger-hunt-type road trip adventure that will shake up his whole life. Along the way he'll discover friends, family, and (gasp) *fun* that he hadn't planned on.

I found this book by way of a list of "best comic novel" recommendations. It's long (600 pages), but you'll be hooked by Raleigh's reluctant, inadvertent journey.

The Local News by Miriam Gershow

I place holds on so many books that I don't always remember why I requested a specific book by the time it shows up. This was one of those books.

At first, I thought maybe it was a mystery - the story begins with sophomore Lydia Pasternak, whose senior brother has disappeared. Quickly though, I realized this was a much more interesting story about a family - and a girl - unraveling under stress.

Lydia's doing the best she can, given the situation. Her parents (who never worried about her because she was the smart, responsible one) have all but abandoned Lydia in the depths of their own grief and bewilderment. Sophomore year is made even more awkward by all the unwanted attention cast her direction by the tragedy.

So Lydia throws herself into projects: researching leads to "help" the private investigator, experimenting with alcohol to numb the pain, and making friends to mask her loneliness.

I kept wanting someone to really SEE Lydia and understand what she was going through. But much like real life, everybody's dealing with their own drama and doesn't notice hers.