Book Review: You're Never Weird on the Internet (almost), by Felicia Day

“The internet is amazing because it connects us with one another. But it’s also horrific because...it connects us with one another.”

I was reading You're Never Weird on the Internet (Almost)  at the reference desk when a 70-something library patron asked me what I was reading. I proceeded to try to explain who Felicia Day is to a woman who's never heard of YouTube and whose idea of online gaming is Words With Friends. You have no idea how hard this is until you've tried it. :)

For those of you who don't know who Felicia Day is, she's an actress and producer whose career has landed solidly in the geek world. She's especially well-known for her webseries The Guild, about a group of gamers.

I waited a month to get my hands on my library's copy of this amazing book, and I kind of wish I'd pulled my librarian status and snagged a copy earlier. Like probably every other geek girl ever, I wish Felicia Day was my friend. Nearly every sentence I read, I was like, yes, this! In this book, Felicia is very candid about her experiences, describing her addiction to gaming, her procrastination, her perfectionism, and her depression with a kind of open generosity, and I felt a lot of the time like she was writing about me, but with a few quirky details added and changing my career choice from librarian to actress/producer. A little more glamorous. :) Her book describes her road to success, her tips for other people to do what they love, her love of and participation in geek culture, and her thoughts about the positive and negative aspects of the internet.

Felicia's writing feels like she's just talking to you over lunch. It's funny, vulnerable, and infused with awkward charm - in short, exactly what I expect Felicia herself is like. Her honest it's-hard-but-it's-worth-it approach to being successful at something she loves is utterly inspiring. If I wasn't already working at my dream job, I'd be going out to get it after reading her book.

I'd recommend You're Never Weird on the Internet (Almost) to anyone who likes Felicia Day's work. Honestly, I'd recommend this book to anyone who's ever felt like success is easy for everyone but them. Now please excuse me while I go re-watch The Guild and follow Felicia on Goodreads.

Short Story Saturday: That Seriously Obnoxious Time I Was Stuck at Witch Rimelda’s One Hundredth Birthday Party, by Tina Connolly

Writing Quality: 3/5
Appeal/Enjoyment: 4/5

Set in the world of Seriously Wicked: A Novel, this short story is seriously funny. Camellia is the non-witchy daughter of a wicked witch, and she's stuck at the one hundredth birthday party of another wicked witch. Everyone's wicked, down to the pool full of witchy children. After a party game in which all the witch children each have to defeat an animated inflatable octopus as it grows increasingly larger, the children are shunted off to the pool house, where they discover that their wicked parents are planning on sending their beloved librarian a seriously hexed loaf of banana bread.

You don't need to have read the book to enjoy That Seriously Obnoxious Time; it stands on its own very well. The story is told in first person, and Camellia's moody, rebellious teenage voice is absolutely believable. A simple, light story, this fluffy fiction entertains but also slips in some sneaky commentary about competitive parenting and petty revenge. I also don't mind that the action hinges on a librarian, although she never makes an appearance in the story.

Much like Seriously Wicked, I would recommend That Seriously Obnoxious Time to teens who feel like they don't belong, and who like fantasy that takes place in the modern world. Especially to readers who like stories that make them laugh. I'd also add that both (and especially the short story) can also be enjoyed by adults.

Recommended ages 11+. Tor Teen, 2015. Web. 26 Aug, 2015. www.tor.com.

Book Review: Chloe and the Lion, by Mac Barnett, illustrated by Adam Rex

Writing Quality: 4/5
Appeal/Enjoyment: 3/5

This book about mistakes and giving up and perseverance and bravery and cunning and collaboration is kind of adorable. Mac Barnett wrote himself and illustrator Adam Rex into the story; Chloe just wants to ride the Merry-go-Round, but Mac fires Adam over an artistic disagreement, then realizes that if he can't work with Adam, Chloe's story will never get completed. The writing and dialogue are casual and realistic. Chloe is a cheeky, clever, brave little girl sharing her story with her creators, who are believably absurd, self-involved adults.

The multimedia art was a little strange for me, because I kept trying to figure out what was drawn and what was three-dimensional, and in what order they had drawn and photographed things. It wasn't exactly conducive to following the story.

Overall, it was a unique story, and the multimedia aspect would be a good way to introduce kids to new types of art.

I recommend Chloe and the Lion for discussions about perseverance and working together, and also for readers looking for a unique experience and those interested in introducing their children to new artistic mediums.

Recommended ages 4 - 8. New York: Disney Hyperion Books, 2012. Print. 48 pages. ISBN: 978-1423113348.

Short Story Saturday: The Chapel Perilous, by Kevin Hearne

This week, I was in the mood for an anthology with multiple authors, and Unfettered, edited by Shawn Speakman, was the perfect book to pull off the shelf. For those of you who have never heard of Unfettered, it's a volume that only exists because of the generosity and friendship of some of the most talented writers in Sci/Fi and Fantasy, who donated stories for the anthology to pay off the medical debt of Shawn Speakman after his second bout with cancer in 2011. There is no theme to this anthology. Instead, the authors were given the freedom to submit whatever short stories they wanted.

Kevin Hearne's story takes place in the same world as his Iron Druid Chronicles and features the druid Atticus as the main character (and Oberon as the usual show-stealing wolfhound). Atticus tells the true story of the quest for the Holy Grail (which he features in heavily...well, pretty much almost exclusively), and in its telling, reveals that the history of the Grail began long before Jesus' time.

I was fascinated by the new-to-me origin story of the Grail (or Celtic Graal). I read "The Chapel Perilous" with the expectation of being entertained, and Kevin Hearne did not disappoint. In spite of Atticus's obvious run-in with the Chapel Perilous (given the title), what could be very dark and macabre tale maintains its lighter mood. Kevin Hearne has a wry sense of humor, and Atticus's interactions with Oberon and with the horse he rides in the story were some of the best (and funniest) parts of the tale. I loved that it ties in with the other Iron Druid books as well, but that you don't need to read them to love this story.

I'd recommend this story to any reader who likes Kevin Hearne, but also to any readers who enjoy a new take on an old tale, or a lighthearted story with a little action, magic, and history mixed in.

Rating: 5 stars!