This is the first of three books I’ve recently read featuring women pregnant under unhappy circumstances or whose babies are threatened or both… probably not the best of choices for reading while pregnant, and I’m really not sure how it happened. Must find books with happier pregnancies next…
Tender Morsels by Margo Lanagan Here is a haunting retelling of the Grimm’s story of Snow White and Rose Red. It starts off in an extremely dark place as Liga Longfield, with a baby by her father and pregnant from a gang rape, is on the brink of suicide. She is granted her own personal paradise, where she can raise her daughters in peace and freedom. The older daughter, Branza, is blond and peaceful, while Urdda is dark and fiery. As the girls grow, they and Liga discover gaps in the barrier, as an unfriendly dwarf and then two bears who act like men – one friendly and one with clearer sexual intentions – come into the world and leave again. Urdda begins to chafe at the confines of the paradise as she grows older, and finds her own way out. Eventually, the alternate world breaks down entirely and Liga and Branza, too, are forced into dealing with the harshness of the real world. There’s a lot of thought here on the dark side of sexuality, as well as looking at what is too much pain and how healing can occur. It’s told in language that feels antique and rural, pulling the reader deeper into the tale. Tender Morsels was an honor book for the ALA’s award for teens, the Printz. One could also look at Patricia Wrede’s Snow White and Rose Red for an entirely different (and lighter) take on the tale.
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Ann Barrows. Read by Various (cast) Another book that deserves to be a bestseller. Writer Juliet Ashton made a living writing humor about World War II, but now that the war is over she’s tired of humor and needs a new book topic. Then she receives a letter from a man on the island of Guernsey, who’s somehow come into possession of one of her old books and wants more of the same. As Juliet learns more about the occupation of Guernsey and the Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society that began first as a front for curfew-breakers, she corresponds with more and more of its members on Guernsey. The story is told entirely in letters and telegrams, to and from Juliet and her publisher, her best friend and the publisher’s sister, and the American publisher who’s smitten with her, as well as the various members of the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. Though the war and its aftereffects are necessarily present and dark, the overall effect of the books is hopeful and extremely charming. The audio version is read by a nearly full cast, giving extra depth to the story. I listened with delight and wished the book went on longer than it did.
Ladybug Girl and Bumblebee Boy by David Soman and Jacky Davis Lulu is dressed as Ladybug Girl (see last year’s book by that title) and ready to try out her superpowers at the park. When she gets there, she finds her friend Sam – but they can’t find anything they both want to play. Finally, Lulu decides to tell him about Ladybug Girl. Success! Sam decides to be Bumblebee Boy, and soon they are having such fun saving the playground from giant monsters that other children ask to join them. The premise might seem simple, but this book is pure genius. How many times now have I seen LB and his friends come to blows because they can’t agree on what to play? Ladybug Girl and Bumblebee Boy manages to teach a valuable lesson in compromise and negotiation – no adults needed – while remaining a story of imaginative adventure that is instantly appealing. Expressive and vibrant watercolors illustrate. I’m planning on getting this for our own personal library, a rarity in our world of loving a book for a week or two and then returning it and moving on.
Hand of Isis by Jo Graham This is the story of Cleopatra, as told by her half-sister and advisor, Charmian, to the gods. The author’s note said all surviving stories of Cleopatra are from the Roman conquerors. Here, Charmian, Cleopatra, and half-sister Iras are a trio who, at a young age, ask Isis to make Cleopatra Pharaoh so they can serve all of Egypt better, whereupon she appears to all of them in different aspects and agrees. The gods are therefore important and real, but Alexandria is intellectual enough that Charmian hides her dreams, even when they appear to come true. Charmian and several other key characters are reincarnations of people who in past lives were Companions to other charismatic and important rulers – Alexander the Great, for sure, and Arthur is also alluded to. One of these stories is told in her previous novel, Black Ships. Still, Cleopatra’s story is plenty entertaining on its own, as she starts fourth or fifth in line for the throne, and works her way up as her various siblings kill each other off or die of plague. The country she finally inherits is fractured along the lines of old Egypt and the Hellenistic coast and laden with the burden of a too-large debt to Rome for previous aid. There’s friendship with a young local scholar, and balancing romance and the call of extreme duty. Charmian grows from a mischievous slave girl into Cleopatra’s advisor and event planner, creating the magic behind Cleopatra’s mystique. 
Blue Moo by Sandra Boynton
The Little Giant of Aberdeen County by Tiffany BakerThe hook of the plot is the narrator, Truly, a girl who is born large, grows quickly, and never stops. Her sister, Serena Jane, is the prettiest girl in town. When they are orphaned, Serena Jane gets her own room with a nice family in town, while Truly is packed off to live on a poor farm on the outskirts of town. She befriends other outcasts – Amelia Dyerson, the daughter of the family where she lives, and Marcus, too small and too smart to fit in at school. Truly’s memories of growing up are mixed in with her odd adult life, caring for the town doctor, Robert Morgan, her sister’s ex-husband. Truly also shares the town stories of the first Robert Morgan, who came from the South after the civil war, and seemingly out of frustration married the local herb-witch, Tabitha Dyerson. Out of this plot-line comes Truly’s on-going search for Tabitha’s legendary Book of Shadows. Truly’s story of being too large to belong anywhere had a strong potential for freakishness but turned out a beautiful story of the search for humanity and blessing.
Body, Breath and Being: A New Guide to the Alexander Technique by Carolyn Nichols I’ve studied the Alexander Technique myself for over a decade now, and credit it for pulling me out of chronic tendinitis in my wrists and keeping me free of back pain during my pregnancy. But what the technique is and does and how to explain it to the vast majority of people who’ve never heard of it before has always been a challenge. While common in Australia and Britain, it’s relatively unknown here, and that, too, makes it difficult as it’s really best to work with a teacher and those are hard to come by here. This book does an excellent job of explaining both the theory and the practice of it. It talks about how to recognize and inhibit unhelpful habits and gently encourage your body towards better use. Nichols profiles several of her students from their own points of view, explaining their difficulties before starting the Technique and how it helped after they started. I’ve seen other similar books use fictional, overly-easily resolved examples instead of real people; hearing the real stories, including where there are still difficulties, and including pictures of the people doing their work, was very helpful. While I could feel my body improving just by reading the book, it also includes an audio CD with guided workshops for each chapter. I didn’t have a chance to try them myself, but have heard from another Alexander student that they are very good. While there’s obviously no substitute for a trained teacher working with you personally, as your own bad habits feel right to you, this is the first book I’ve seen that looks like it could help you improve on your own. The Alexander Technique is traditionally used by those in the performing arts, but anyone whose life or work causes physically tension or pain will benefit from this book.
alibrarymama 