Prison Ramen: Recipes and Stories from Behind Bars by Clifton Collins, Jr. & Gustavo "Goose" Alvarez

Amazon recommended this to me.  I really enjoy quirky memoir-style cookbooks that tell a story along with the recipes.  You can read my review of Bruculino, America on this blog.  I ordered it when it popped up in my recommendations. 

Now, first off, I'm not a Ramen eater.  I find the stuff gross.  And I LIKE salt.  For a chunky former smoker, my blood pressure is super low, so I can enjoy my salt.  Ramen? Ick.  But for some unknown reason, Ramen is like the IN food right now.  The restaurants are popping up all over and recipes using Ramen as a base are all over social media.  Again, a no from me.

But for inmates, Ramen is better than state cafeteria food.  It's also much more filling.  With a little creativity and assorted condiments from the prison commissary, one can actually make a lot of variations.

This book is written with either a celebrity arrest story or a specific event from the authors' pasts as inmates.  My personal favorite celebrity story was Slash's (the guitarist from Guns N Roses). 

But the real stories, those of the former inmates, were harsh, real, and emotionally tough to read.  Ramen, meaning non-prison food, was a source of hope.

Find this on display soon as January's theme is NEW YEAR, NEW BOOKS!

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All opinions expressed on this blog are solely those of Mrs. W.

Thunderhead and The Toll by Neal Shusterman

First, I want to apologize for being MIA!  I had the Connecticut Association of School Librarians Conference, then the American Association of School Librarians Conference in Kentucky.  I was so excited to represent West Haven at this national event!  But I ended up with a really bad case of food poisoning!  I also had not one but two assignments for School Library Journal.  Add in the end of football season for Band and Color Guard and Thanksgiving, and, well, all of a sudden it's December!

When I logged in to write these reviews, I found my last review was "unpublished" as a draft.  I don't know what happened there, but it's up now.

So, the sequels 2 and 3 to Scythe.

I read these back to back, immediately ordering The Toll after finishing Thunderhead. I just could not wait!  Luckily, book 3 was released the day I ordered it.  I read The Toll on the plane rides and during my personal time in Kentucky.

Scythe was incredible.  Thunderhead was better.  And The Toll is the best!

I do not want to spoil ANYTHING!  Just know there will be LOTS of emotions!

Find both of these back on the shelf today!

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All opinions expressed on this blog are solely those of Mrs. W.

The Conspiracy Book by John Michael Greer

I really wanted to love this book, but alas, I'm only going to call it okay.

The cover is absolutely stunning and the topics are fascinating.  It's the set-up that annoyed me.  It reads like an encyclopedia.  There are short entries on each topic, with "see also"s for connected information and a picture or two relating.  Each entry is no more than a page.

I had such high hopes for this, but I gave up half-way through as I wasn't really learning anything new.

Now that being said, if you're new to conspiracy theories or secret societies, this would be a great place to start for some introductions and connections.

For those of us who dabble in the subject on a regular basis, it is way too beginner.

Find this on display late next week for Non-fiction November.

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All opinions expressed on this blog are solely those of Mrs. W.

The Grace Year by Kim Liggett

I have been waiting for this for so long!!!!

And then, of course, I got an assignment for SLJ that I had to read and review first! 

So, I was finally able to sit and read this on our day off for Columbus Day/Indigenous People's Day.  As I expected, I could not put it down.

I have been a huge fan of Kim Liggett's writing for a long time (I reviewed her previous books here).  So I pre-ordered this as soon as I could from Amazon.  It'll now be donated to the WHHS Library.  I am also thrilled to say Universal has optioned the rights, and it will be directed by Elizabeth Banks!

This has been tag-lined as a Lord of the Flies meets The Handmaid's Tale.  I would definitely agree.  I'd also add in the Salem Witch Trials/The Crucible. 

At the age of 16, girls in this society leave their town for a year at an island encampment. The day prior, boys of the same age and widowers may choose one of the girls as a wife, if she survives the year.  The purpose is to expel all the "magic" from the girls, so that they will be be proper wives/docile women.  In reality, it is to break their spirit.

I honestly do not want to spoil any more of this plot, because it is THAT
GOOD.  There are twists, turns, "holy [expletives]", and a roller coaster of emotions.  It's not a story of rainbows and sunshine. 

Although a very dark statement on the direction our lives might be taking, as was Offred's tale, it's also a reminder of the power of women working together.  They are a force for change and hope. 

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All opinions expressed on this blog are solely those of Mrs. W.

The Disappearing Spoon by Sam Kean

Last March I was given a directive to update our science holdings when I created the book order for this year.  This book was recommended by our vendor, Follett's Titlewave for chemistry.  I really wasn't interested until it came in and I saw it in person.

Yes, I know, don't judge a book by its cover.

But, this one's cover made me want to at least thumb through it.

I really enjoyed reading it!

So much so, I talked to Mr. Hill and Mrs. Poffenberger about using it in their Honors and AP Chem classes.  

This is a tour through the Periodic Table of the Elements and how they were "discovered", most of which were by accident or theory alone until proven.  There's lots of interesting factual tidbits relating to alchemy, philosophy, and more.  It's as much a history book as a science one. 

It's certainly been a while since I took Honors Chem myself, and there was a fair bit of science that went over my head, but not enough to impact understanding.  

Find this on display come Nonfiction November!

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All opinions expressed on this blog are solely those of Mrs. W. 

I Find Your Lack of Faith Disturbing by A.D. Jameson

I really, really, really wanted to like this.  I'm a huge fan of Star Wars, Harry Potter, and The Big Bang Theory.  So, if that makes me a "geek", I'm OK with it.  So when a book subtitled comes in as: Star Wars and Triumph of Geek Culture, of course I want to read it!

But....
I could not get into this.
There was too much of the SuperHero genre, of which I am NOT a fan, to hold my interest. 
I'm not all that into cosplay, except the occasional Harry Potter party.
And I don't play video games or themed card games. 

I think though this book has a niche for those who do all of the above, but for me there was too little Star Wars to have a subtitle name-dropping the franchise.

If it YOUR thing though, find this back on the shelf later today.

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All opinions expressed on this blog are solely those of Mrs. W.

A Craftsman's Legacy by Eric Gorges

Welcome back!

I hope you have had a chance to visit our new home.  Yes, that's right, the new WHHS LMC is fully operational, and thanks to Mrs. Taylor volunteering her time, all the books are in order!  Thanks to my helpers who unpacked 361 boxes of books plus all the supplies/magazines/decorations/etc.  I am forever in their debt!

So, here's the first book review of the 19-20 school year!

I'm sure by now most of you know I am a big supporter of shop classes.  My Dad was a mechanic and a "shop kid".  Many times students who take auto and wood shop classes are reluctant readers, and being that all of our seniors need to read a memoir, I thought this would be a great addition to our collection.  I decided to take it out as soon as it came in, before students would need it.

And I am so glad I did.

I loved this book.

Eric Gorges is the host of the show of the same name.  He meets and features craftsmen from many places and trades to showcase their stories. 

We've become accustomed to cheaply made imported stuff that lasts a few years and then we replace it.  We go online, click a bit, hit submit order, and two days later it's on our doorstep for 19.99.  I admit I'm guilty of this as well.  But things made, by hand, last.  They are not perfect, but as perfect as the craftsperson can make.  They are personal, an extension of the hands that built them.  There is a story to the item, a history and a meaning. 

Gorges tells his own story in flashback interwoven with the stories of those he meets.  I really felt like I had met these people myself, even though I've never watched the show. 

Find this on the memoir "new" shelf later today.

All opinions expressed on this blog are solely those of Mrs. W.

Follow me on Twitter @RamblingsLMS