May 18th, 2012
Current Mood:  excited
Current Music: Achin' To Be ~ The Replacements
Tonight Gallery M Squared (located at 339 W. 19th St. in Houston) is hosting an opening night reception for the exhibit of work entitled Sticks and Stones. The work is created by local artists Nicky Davis and Jessica Rice and will be shown through June 3rd. Besides the opportunity to look at and purchase great art, there will also be entertainment provided by a DJ, light snacks and free Lone Star beer.For more information on the artists or the gallery please check these websites.
http://www.gallerymsquared.com/
http://nickydavis.com/
http://www.jessicariceart.com
 The musical 13 will be playing this weekend and next weekend at Applause Theater in Spring Texas. Several shows are already sold out but tickets are still available for the Saturday’s matinee at 3 PM. Next Sunday’s matinee at 3 PM and next Sunday’s closing show at 8 PM. The show is performed by teens and is about the trials and triumphs of a young boy who is forcefully moved from NYC to Indiana. This play is Rated PG-13 due to some of the content.
For more information about the show
and/or tickets check out these websites:
http://www.houstonmta.com/cms/
http://13themusical.com/
(P.S. My daughter Simone is in the red cast) Next Saturday night, May 26th at 8:00 PM the El Rincon Social building (located at 3210 Preston, Houston) the show entitled Heavy Traffic opens up. It features artwork by the artist Fernando Rameriez and several other local artists. Besides the art there will also be other vendors on site as well as a DJ, and drinks. Visitors are also welcome to BYOB.
For more information please visit these websites:
http://www.fernandocatramirez.com
http://www.houstontexas6666.wordpress.com/
So go out there and do something arty! Coming up next week; I say farewell to Graphic Novels Month with a review of Teen Boat by John Green, A Sneak Peek at Issue 4 of the comic After Twilight and I’ll tell you about the comic Scarlet Spider, why it’s significant to Houston and how you can meet the creators!
May 16th, 2012
Current Mood:  sore
Current Music: Da Funk ~ Daft Punk
For about six months visitors to The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City will have the opportunity to visit Cloud City. Not the Cloud City from the Star Wars films, but Cloud City as imagined by Argentine artist, Tomás Saraceno. The exhibit opened yesterday on the roof of the Met.
Cloud city is a constellation of large, interconnected modules constructed with transparent and reflective materials. Visitors can enter and walk through these habitat-like, modular structures grouped in a seemingly sporadic manner. The inspiration for the project came to the artist whence he was admiring foam at the top of his beer. He noticed that foam formed at the top of many kids of drinks including coffee, sodas and milk. He imagined what it would be like to live inside one of those bubbles and what the world would look like refracted and reflected throughout the space.
There are plenty of great articles and stories out about Cloud City. I suggest this two minute story on NPR-http://www.npr.org/2012/05/16/152809401/cloud-city-like-walking-inside-a-kaleidoscope
I was anxious to read the graphic novel The Girl Who Owned a City. The cover depicts a young girl with a rifle flung casually over her shoulder walking away from a building engulfed with flames. I was hoping for a strong female character. We need more smart, strong female role models in kid's books. Those who can balance both intellect and emotion. Unfortunately I was disappointed to learn that the main female girl, Lisa Nelson is a non-feeling, power hungry robot. She is focused on success and large goals and not at all interested in people as individuals.
Taken from a novel written by O.T. Nelson in the 1970's, the storyline is: Lisa and her little brother Todd are the lone survivors from her family of a terrible virus that wiped out all adults. For whatever reason
kids aged 12 and below survived. Now they all live in a combative, competitive world where they must lie, cheat and steal for their survival.
This rubs me wrong in several ways. I've never seen, nor read of children that are as separated from their emotions as the kids are in this book. There is no sympathy or worrying about how each other feel. They don't even comment on how they themselves feel! When she begins building a city, Lisa refers to it as "my city". The only reasons that she allows others to join her is that she is attempting to obtain the safety that comes from being in a large group. She makes comments repeatedly throughout the book that she doesn't feel the need to share he exorbanant supply.
"All those things belong to us and no one else."
At one point another character confronts her about her selfish ideology,
"Maybe a city is owned by the people who love there."
We see no growth or change in Lisa as the book ends with line,
"It's my city afterall."
It's a shame that the story couldn't have been tweaked to add depth. The illustrations are luminous with Great style and a strong sense of place. It isn't a requirement to have positive or likeable characters, but it helps if they're at least realistic. It results in a good book that could have been great. This book is for Middle Grade readers.
May 14th, 2012
Current Mood: happy
Current Music: The Scent of Love from the film The Piano
Tim Burton immediately catapults his viewers into the epic story of Barnabas Collins, the curse laid upon him, the creation of his family’s empire and the power of scorned love. The film Dark Shadows offers the visual richness which we have come to expect from Burton, but this time the visual style is pushed far beyond our expectations. Primarily favoring dark and muted tones that he is known for, the palette is extended for this film and includes the swirling neon and peacock fashions prominent in America in the 1970’s. First a brief summary: In the year 1750, Barnabas Collins (Johnny Depp) travels with his parents from his home in London to Maine where they revolutionize the fishing industry. The town is named after them, Collinsport. Servant girl, Angelique (Eva Green) falls in love with Baranabas. He has an affair with her, but falls in love with another woman and denies ever having feeling for Angelique. Little does Barnabas realize that Angelique has the power to ruin his life permanently as he loses his parents and his lover in “tragic accidents.” Finally she curses him to live eternally as a vampire and he is enclosed in a casket and buried alive until 1972. The majority of the film happens from this point forward as his is reunited with the town that his family has created and the new generation of the Collins family. Burton has fun using “dark shadows” throughout the film and his mastery and campy use of old monster relics is at its finest. From a ghost floating mystically through the air, to a blood infusion machine that could be in Dr. Frankenstein’s lab there is a diabolical treat around every corner. Perhaps my favorite throwback, yet completely freshly designed image is of the fireplace that opens to reveal stairs to a secret liar. With many familiar actors; Helena Bonham Carter (Alice in Wonderland, strangely her character in this film resembled her evil Queen with strangely parted hair and dramatic make-up), Christopher Lee (as the ship captain in this film; he is recognizable from most of Burton’s films including Sleepy Hollow), and of course Johnny Depp who is the only actor that I can imagine being able to live through this character who embodies both feminine delicacy and animalistic passion. The fresh (to Burton) faces were well suited to the film as well. The stand outs for me were Chloe Grace Mortez (Hugo and Kick Ass) as the teen in the family, Carolyn and the remarkable Eva Green (Dreamers and Casino Royale). Green was new to me but she stole every scene that she was in. With freakish porcelain doll beauty, a gravelly sexy voice, eyes that reflect power and dominance and a figure which Burton takes advantage of by costuming in exquisite pieces, she moves both like a cat and an automaton in a dizzying array of character changes. I’d be remiss not to mention the strangely apt cameo of Alice Cooper. The original music is by Burton’s regular collaborator Danny Elfman and once again perfectly suits the film. The film also includes a huge range of music from the era including everything from The Moody Blues and T. Rex to Iggy Pop and the Carpenters. Yes, this is a glowing review, but my undying fandom for Tim Burton doesn’t make it impossible for me to see that there are flaws in the film. For example; there are many questions that I left with including, how did the daughter end up being what we learn she is, is Elizabeth (Michelle Pfeiffer) the only family member without a secret and some consistency questions. That said- if you’re a fan of dark movies, enjoy a quirky well written set of dialog with great one liners and plenty of laughs, appreciate a film with a simple heart of a message, (in this case, blood is thicker than water) then this movie is well worth the price of admission and definitely a thrill to see on the big screen. 
First a brief summary: In the year 1750, Barnabas Collins (Johnny Depp) travels with his parents from his home in London to Maine where they revolutionize the fishing industry. The town is named after them, Collinsport. Servant girl, Angelique (Eva Green) falls in love with Baranabas. He has an affair with her, but falls in love with another woman and denies ever having feelings for Angelique. Little does Barnabas realize that Angelique has the power to ruin his life permanently as he loses his parents and his lover in “tragic accidents.” Finally she curses him to live eternally as a vampire and he is enclosed in a casket and buried alive until 1972. The majority of the film happens from this point forward as he is reunited with the town that his family has created and the new generation of the Collins family.
Burton has fun using “dark shadows” throughout the film and his mastery and campy use of old monster relics is at its finest. From a ghost floating mystically through the air, to a blood infusion machine that could be in Dr. Frankenstein’s lab there is a diabolical treat around every corner. Perhaps my favorite throwback, yet completely freshly designed image is of the fireplace that opens to reveal stairs to a secret liar.
With many familiar actors; Helena Bonham Carter (Alice in Wonderland, strangely her character in this film resembled her evil Queen with strangely parted hair and dramatic make-up), Christopher Lee (as the ship captain in this film; he is recognizable from most of Burton’s films including Sleepy Hollow), and of course Johnny Depp who is the only actor that I can imagine being able to live through this character who embodies both feminine delicacy and animalistic passion. The fresh (to Burton) faces were also well suited to the film. The stand outs for me were Chloe Grace Mortez (Hugo and Kick Ass) as the teen Carolyn and the remarkable Eva Green (Dreamers and Casino Royale). Green was new to me but she stole every scene. With freakish porcelain doll beauty, a gravelly sexy voice, eyes that reflect power and dominance and a figure which Burton takes advantage of by costuming in exquisite pieces, she moves both like a cat and an automaton in a dizzying array of character changes. I’d be remiss not to mention the strangely apt cameo of Alice Cooper.
The original music is by Burton’s regular collaborator Danny Elfman and once again perfectly propels the film which also includes a huge range of music from the era including everything from The Moody Blues and T. Rex to Iggy Pop and the Carpenters. 
Yes, this is a glowing review, but my undying fandom for Tim Burton doesn’t make it impossible for me to see that there are flaws in the film. For example; I left with many questions including, how did the daughter end up being what we learn she is, is Elizabeth (Michelle Pfeiffer) the only family member without a secret and I had some consistency questions. That said- if you’re a fan of dark movies, enjoy a quirky well written set of dialog with great one liners and plenty of laughs, and appreciate a film with a simple heart of a message, (in this case, blood is thicker than water) then this movie is well worth the price of admission and is a worthwhile thrill to see on the big screen.
http://darkshadowsmovie.warnerbros.com/index.html
(visit the website for info on characters, behind the scenes info, play with a curse generator and more)
May 7th, 2012
Current Mood:  sleepy
Current Music: Lonely Boy ~ The Black Keys
House by Josh Simmons (published in 2007)
This wordless graphic novel is described as being "about a group of teenagers who discover a mysterious abandoned mansion in the forest. Their curiosity draws them inside where both adventure and unexpected tragedy await."
Its illustration style is interesting and eye-catching; unfortunately there isn't much substance to the story itself. The book has rampant unnecessary nudity, an untenable story and reads more like someone's drug trip then a worthwhile book.
 
Interiorae by Gabriella Giandelli is a new release by Fantagraphics Books
Weaving from apartment to apartment throughout an apartment complex in Milan; this strange and fantastical story is narrated by a white rabbit whose job is to gather dream for his unnamed boss; a black blob who lives in the cellar and feeds off of the dreams.
Reading like a Hayao Miyazaki movie, the story is artistically rendered both literally and figuratively. We’re never sure who is real or who is a ghost, who can see the spirits and who is crazy. With characters ranging from young children to a dying old woman the author gives us a voyeur’s peek into the varied lives.“Houses are organisms. They must be nourished. They live off the energy of the
dreams of those who dwell within.”
With boxy, flat yet somehow beautifully rendered illustrations and a story that requires attention, respect and multiple reads, Interiorae is a sophisticated graphic novel for readers that appreciate working to decide the meaning and significance of the work within.
May 4th, 2012May 1st, 2012
Current Mood:  nostalgic
Current Music: 72-74 ~ The Spinanes
 "For thus it chanced one morn when all the court,
Green-suited, but with plumes that mocked the may,
Had been, their wont, a-maying and returned,
That Modred still in green, all ear and eye,
Climbed to the high top of the garden-wall
To spy some secret scandal if he might..."
From the poem Guinevere by TennysonHappy May Day! I always miss my Grandma Byrd on the first of May. She would make paper flowers, leave them on my porch, ring the doorbell and run away. She continued the traditions in memory of the May Day celebrations of her youth.
I would leave her fresh flowers in exchange and when I was older, I would send her flowers. The practice has long since been forgotten by most but I like to think that there are still a handfull of people that are still practicing the traditions in honor of loved ones. John Collier Queen Guinevre's Maying
I've written about it many times on my blog (follow tag above to learn about the film and see work by the artists featured in the film), and THIS WEEKEND ONLY you'll have a chance to see the GREAT film about HOUSTON STREET ART; Stick Em Up! at the Museum of Fine Arts Houston! Tickets are only $7 and there are two shows on Fri, two on Sat and one on Sun. Check out the website:
http://stickemupmovie.com/about-stick-em-up/
April 30th, 2012
Current Mood: sleepy
Current Music: Twilight Galaxy ~ Metric
To say farewell to National Poetry Month I read one collection of poems for children the other for young adults. The journey was half worth my time.
You Remind Me of You by Eireann Corrigan
You Remind Me of You is a poetry memoir of author Corrigan’s experience living with an eating disorder and being partnered with a boyfriend who is a heavy drug user and attempts suicide. Although the exercise of writing the book perhaps proved
cathartic for Corrigan, the reader gleans little from the disjointed prose and partially realized anecdotes.
When I first started reading it seemed as if the book might be using an interesting and seldom used technique to delve into a persistent teen issue. Unfortunately, unlike the work of Ellen Hopkins (Crank, Identical) which tackles difficult subject matter in a free flowing prose format. Her writing hits quick points, is passionate and powerful. This book however reads terse, forced and unpolished.
Part of the problem is that the poems jump through time one in present tense, the next several years earlier and then into the future again. This can be used successfully but in this piece feels clunky. The author does create some beautiful imagery; “In a year my entire planet will shrink to one locked hallway” and “Every time we came back to each other, his arms around me felt like the native country.” But the good moments were few and much of the text felt jostled and disjointed. I sadly give this title a thumbs down.
Looking for Me by Betsy R. Rosenthal
Looking for Me is a sweet and informative peek inside the life of a second generation Russian immigrant in Baltimore in the 1930’s. Written in verse, some which rhyme others that use free-form prose the poems are easily accessible and clearly deliver the reader to the time and place being written about. Edith who is described as being “just plain” is right in the middle of a family of 12 kids. They share beds and have hand me downs of hand me downs. The poems touch on education, Jewish tradition, family discipline, death and work during the years when she is eleven and twelve. Through the poems Edith discovers who she is inside and outside of her family identity and we learn in a touching Author’s Note that Edith is the author’s Mother. Well written, entertaining, easy to digest and this could serve to introduce students to Jewish heritage as well as different poetry formats. This is an excellent read for Ages 9-12. This is a new release so look for it bookstores now!
April 26th, 2012
Current Mood: chipper
Current Music: Boiling Boy ~ Wire
“Jazz was afraid of two things in the world and two things only. One of them was that people
thought that his upbringing meant that he was cursed by nature, nurture,
and predestination to be a serial killer like his father.”
 (my review is based on the Advanced Reader Copy. Some text may appear slightly changed in the final copy)
Creepily beginning with the discovery of a dead body, the pace and delivery of information never ceases throughout the psychological thriller which is Barry Lyga’s I Hunt Killers. Refusing to dumb down his writing for kids, Lyga presents disturbing facts about brutal murders in a way that is less gruesome than in an adult novel but is still every bit as horrifying.
The story is told from the perspective of Jazz, a teenage boy who is raising his Grandmother and who is infamous due to the fact that he is the son of one of the most successful serial killers in American history. When murders start occurring in his hometown, Jazz is the logical suspect and as readers we aren’t sure if hes involved or not. He consistently struggles with the memories of his father who “brought him to work” and trained him on all aspects of being a murderer. He constantly reminds himself that people matter and to think of the corpses as individual people as opposed to “it”.
“Gramma was made up of skin and bones and hate and crazy – and hate and crazy don’t weigh anything.”
With references to The Crucible and French philosopher Locard Lyga proves that readers of all ages like to stretch their ideas and correlate them to their daily life. Lyga also succeeds in creating memorable characters with unique characteristics. I love the story of why one main character gets multiple tattoos (I’ll refrain from explaining to avoid spoilers). Although it is undeniably a dark book and graphic in some respects, it is appropriate for a mature older teen reader (the cover suggests readers from 15 and up). It makes a great read for a student who struggles to get engaged in traditional stories. Its a fabulous intro to the mystery or psychological drama genre and would make for a thrilling read to any teen that enjoys a good scare.
“He wanted to blurt out, to scream it, to cry, but he knew that human weakness was like an aphrodisiac to a sociopath…”
April 25th, 2012
Current Mood: contemplative
Current Music: She's Gone ~ The Black Keys
When I first began using Goodreads, I used it for myself. It was a place for me to log my thoughts about things that I’ve read or that I want to read. It allowed for me to have quick access to names of authors and titles and to use as a reference for what to read in the future. I find that now that I am rating books, I’m in a minority of users with how I use the star system and I’m curious about how other boggers and writers look at/analyze the stars and what you expect from them. I spent some time messing around on the site and tried to search for succinct definitions of the intent of the stars but came up dry. Each piece that I found contradicted another. How can it be that the works of Shakespeare earn 5 stars right next to the Twilight saga? (which I would have rated a 3). Something is amiss. I’m not the first to question this, I’m not the most informed to question this, but I am questioning it and am hoping to open a dialog about the stars, how they’re used and what value they hold to you.  I was at the Texas Library Association last week and an author said to me “Read my book! It has a 4.27 rating on Goodreads and it would be higher if that jerk (name withheld) hadn’t rated it a 3.” I’ve read the book. It’s sufficiently good and well tooled but nothing special. This by my definition IS a 3. Do writers want, even expect ratings of a 5 on stories that aren’t earth shattering? Many of my favorite books of the previous years I did not give a rating of 5. I use the stars as such: 1- intolerable, length of time in my life that I’ve forever lost due to whatever monstrosity I just read 2- adequete but not worth the time that I spent reading it 3- above average, a bit better than adequete, not a waste of time 4- quite good, enjoyable, well crafted worth reading 5- absolute perfection, completely embodied the goal of the book, fully realized subject or story This rating system is how I can justify giving a ground-breaking work of Children’s Literature, The Invention of Hugo Cabaret, the same rating as perfectly executed graphic novel, (ironically entitled) 5 is the perfect number. Therefore I also COULD NOT give several books that I greatly enjoyed but that had some weak or bulky spots the same rating, Selected Poems of Anne Sexton, Fantastic Mr. Fox and Going Bovine just to name a few. A book rated a 4 by me is a GREAT book. It is worth seeking out, special, excellent and worth your time. It just isn't quite perfect. It's obvious to me that we aren't all on the same rating scale in this way. Am I doing it wrong? Here is a link to my goodreads account: http://www.goodreads.com/hipmamajen
April 23rd, 2012
Current Mood: indifferent
Current Music: What You Want ~ The Roots
The Reality Bites panel was perhaps the most diverse in temperament from the hilarious Jesse Andrews to Ruta Sepetys tales of research at a Lithuanian death camp that completely silenced the room.
(Jesse Andrews, Elizabeth Eulberg, Ruta Sepetys, Lisa McMann and Siobhan Vivian)
 Ruta Sepetys brought the room to complete silence when sharing the story of how she did research for her Morris award Finalist book, Between Shades of Gray. The book is about the path of one family taken to death camps in Lithuania and their struggle for survival. Sepetys visited the camp and paid to be treated as an actual prisoner would have been treated. In this process she was beaten and subjugated to verbal abuse. She was inspired to write the book based on her family’s experience. “I was bankrupt of story.” She said. The final product did not come to Ruta easily as she revised the book seventeen times! “I’m a better reviser than writer” she said. 
The book The List is getting lots of buzz for its frank discussion of the pressure put on girls in high school to maintain a high standard in their personal appearance. What really makes the book special though is that it also tells about the fallout, both bad and good when girls are singled out merely on their appearance. As research author Siobhan Vivian gossiped. She figures that all of the hours that she spent trying to be entertaining in school also taught her what is funny and interesting to others. She said “You can’t be afraid to snip what’s not working and start over.”
Jesse Andrews brought the same self effacing humor that appears in his book Me, Earl and the Dying Girl to his answers during the panel. He said that he was always really into the Redwall series and that in high school he treated reading as “a terrible journey to torture.” He did this by reading books that were too difficult for him and were very pretentious. He said that he failed for five years before writing Me, Earl and the Dying Girl, including two failed novels. He also said on writing, “If it’s brutally hard- that’s how you know that you’re doing it right.”
 
Named after the character of Beth from the book Little Women author Elizabeth Eulberg grew up reading the Sweet Valley High series. She almost gave up on writing but is friends with author Dav Pilkey who pushed her to finish her book. She discusses the significance of having someone thoughtful read your book before sending it off. “It’s crucial to get criticism along with why.” Her most recent novel is Take a Bow
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