more reviews

More reviews!  I'm caught up after this but reading a couple promising books!

Charm City Rocks by Matthew Norman (Adult Fiction)

The premise is completely wackadoodle with equally bizarre moments like Billy living with his rockstar girlfriend above his ex-wife’s garage.

The characters, despite or perhaps because of their flaws, were easy to get invested in. Billy's son, Caleb, who loves his dad so much he pretends to be a teenage fangirl to get a meet and greet with the rockstar his dad has forever been in love with. Margot, the rockstar, who is initially ashamed to be set up by this goofy, lovable kid, but somehow finds her way back to herself through this strange meet and greet. Billy, who is just a goofy, likable guy hiding a serious regret. Billy’s ex-wife, Robyn and her husband Aaron, who are on their own weird little journeys of self-discovery. Both Billy and Robyn together, because partners who split, are always tied together when there’s a kid involved. Even though Billy and Robyn haven’t been together in a long time and have been friends throughout Caleb’s childhood, they are finally working through unresolved issues. And we can’t forget the side characters, who I enjoyed as much as the main characters – the pretzel guy, Gustavo, Margot’s daughter, Poppy, and Margot’s ex, who shows up at Robyn and Aaron’s house to win back Margot, who is of course living with Billy above the garage.

So yes, I was totally scooped up in the weird plot and interesting characters, not to mention the hilarious moments created from these characters being in each other’s orbit during this book’s strange journey. I can’t tell if my husband was sad or relieved when I finished this, because I probably read a quarter of the book out loud to him. Whenever I would say “hey, you gotta hear this,” my husband would sigh (obviously irritated) but also ask if they moved the piano again (clearly invested).

Please Pay Attention by Jamie Sumner (Juvenile Fiction)

I knew I was going to love this book when I saw the bit about therapeutic horseback riding in the blurb. What I didn't expect was to love the characters so much, especially Max, Lucy, and Aaron, and their incredible support and love for the main character, Bea.

I almost didn't read this, because it's a super tough topic (a school shooting) and told from the perspective of someone in a wheelchair who felt helpless to defend herself, but I'm glad I read it. I was absolutely smitten with Bea, how she worked her way through her grief using not just the strength of others and her special horse, Dumpling, but by using her own strength, which was there all along.

This is also written in poetry format, which I have mixed feelings about. I thought the poetry format worked really well. There were some special line breaks and a few moments here and there where the poetry format made the words stronger.

Favorite moments:

"because that's how Mrs. Cannelli is,

soothing like clothes right out of the dryer..."

Talking about Dumpling:

"When he breathes out,

my legs stretch,

and when he looks down,

I dip forward,

and when I pat his neck and say, "Good job,"

he huffs with happiness."

"Horses are intuitive creatures,"

she says, running a hand down his neck.

"You can't steer them like a car.

They read your emotions

and reflect them back to you

like mirrors."

Music and Silence: The Passion and Protest of Pablo Casals by Christy Mihaly and illustrated by Mariona Cabassa (Nonfiction Picture Book)

I have never heard of Pablo Casals, and I'm so glad this book was introduction to learning about him. I appreciated how he used his unique skills to stand up to a dictator. He had such a rocky life but music was his constant companion, even in his silence.

The illustrations have so much movement, color, and passion. Capturing such an incredible person had to feel like such a tremendous undertaking, and yet the illustrator not only does this, she also captures his music as well. All the moody purples here and there depicting how multifaceted strength is - a tree standing tall, birds of hope flying the same skies as the bombs tearing through the beauty. But also the explosion of bright colors, even in the clothes of the refugees fleeing Spain. The colors held all the emotions just like Casals' music.