An Excuse For Company, Volume 6
Copyright 2013 Eustacia Tan
Cover Note:
This cover comes from a picture by Micha Fire. It’s a picture of a Bloddplumtree in full flower! Isn’t it beautiful?
Micha is also taking part in the feature piece by sharing a poem with us, and taking part in the photo feature. Enjoy~
I’ve edited the cover a little, so here’s the original picture for your enjoyment:
Editor’s Note:
April means Spring! Well, at least it does in Japan, when the cherry blossoms bloom. School, jobs all start in April too~
So in this month’s feature piece, we have poems and a small photo feature! Spring only comes along once a year, so why not celebrate with photos? After all, a picture speaks a thousand words ^^
Lastly, in this month’s edition of “The Other Side of the Page”, we have Alexandra Lanc introducing her latest book – Midnight.
Do you have a story/poem/review/post to share? Email me at
[email protected] and become part of our team.
^_^
Eustacia
Contents:
Cover Note
Editor’s Note
Feature: Spring
Welcome Spring by Alexandra Lanc
Imbolic by Melissa Keir
Spring by Micha Fire
Photo Feature
Book Reviews:
Also Known As by Robin Benway
The Indigo Spell by Richelle Mead
The Teenage Liberation Handbook by Grace Llewellyn
Your New Job Title is “Accomplice” by Scott Adams
From The Other Side of the Page:
Introducing Midnight by Alexandra Lanc
Meet the Team
Feature: Spring
Spring seems to mean poetry. And of course, we have photos of Spring from around the World (around the temperate world anyway)
Welcome, Spring
(by Alexandra Lanc)
Welcome, Spring –
Let’s greet the day,
Together we can make it shine,
While all the Winter melts away,
And flowers begin to appear,
Blossoms that we missed last year.
Welcome, Spring,
You should take a bow,
As you remind us of the way,
That all things new are made,
When the sun begins to shine,
And the gloomy weather fades.
Welcome, Spring,
Bring us your cheer,
As new lives begin and end,
And steps are taken forward,
Towards the coming seasons we will see again.
Welcome, Spring,
This is your chance to say hello,
While we lift our smiles to the sky,
And be grateful for the chance,
To welcome back the fullness of life.
Imbolic
(By Melissa Keir)
The moon graces the gossamer gown of the mother,
Snow lightly falls on her cold shoulders,
Unseen her body is awakening and becoming fertile,
Deep within the womb - the seeds of the future spring rest,
Waiting for the warmer breezes and sun,
The kisses of the soft warm raindrops falling,
To grace the mother, providing her and what rests in her body nourishment
So that the land comes back to live and the wheel turns…
SPRING
(by Micha Fire)
I see the flowers bloom
spring has come so soon
the sun is shining bright
chasing away the night
the days will be long
as will be my happy song
birds sing with all their might
the fun of spring in sight
bees come out to play
nothing will make me stay
I go out in the sun
to play and have fun
in the sun so bright
I fill my heart with light
so I can pass it on
to anyone that comes along
winter now has gone
spring again has won
no more stories to be told
about the freezing cold
and even if it may rain
it will cause me no pain
I think of the little flower
with rain it has more power
to grow and strife
and show of the new life
coming out of the earth
it is like a birth
Photo Feature
Ever wonder what spring is like in different parts of the world? Or if you live near the equator, what does Spring look like in the first place? Well, Micha, Qilong, Kat and I have shared our photos to try and answer your question ^^
Micha Fire – Germany
close up of bloodplum -- can you see the bumbble bee??
wild tulöips under the Rhododendron
Eustacia Tan – Japan
Sakura
When it rains, the sakura fall
The shorter the bloom, the more beautiful the memory.
雨のため
桜が散った
美しい
Qilong Bi – Belgium
Almost spring….
Kat Folland – America
Baby Spring Flowers
Book Reviews
Also Known As by Robin Benway
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Publish Date: February 26th, 2013
“Being a 16-year-old safecracker and active-duty daughter of international spies has its moments, good and bad. Pros: Seeing the world one crime-solving adventure at a time. Having parents with super cool jobs. Cons: Never staying in one place long enough to have friends or a boyfriend. But for Maggie Silver, the biggest perk of all has been avoiding high school and the accompanying cliques, bad lunches, and frustratingly simple locker combinations.
Then Maggie and her parents are sent to New York for her first solo assignment, and all of that changes. She'll need to attend a private school, avoid the temptation to hack the school's security system, and befriend one aggravatingly cute Jesse Oliver to gain the essential information she needs to crack the case . . . all while trying not to blow her cover.”
Also Known As by Robin Benway is hard not to love. There's spies and tons of espionage, witty dialogue, romance, and an absolutely hilarious main character. What is there not to love?
Maggie is a teenage safecracker who's finally been given her first solo gig. She's excited and terrified all at the same time. The mission rests on her shoulders and when she loses her way it's her new found friends, Jesse and Roux, spoiled rich Manhattanites that they are, who just might be the only ones that can help this spy complete her job.
Maggie and Jesse's relationship was sooooo adorable. Yes, that's a so with five O's. Their relationship is five O's adorable. It's rare for me to like a contemporary novel that has an insta-love relationship in it, but since Also Known As is about a teenage spy and is absolutely hysterical, I let the insta-love go. Besides, they're supposed to be sixteen, and don't most sixteen year olds think they're in love after two dates?
The side characters were great. Maggie's parents were cool and a huge part of the story, which I found refreshing. Angelo, a family friend/uncle type, was Maggie's go to in any and all situations, which I loved! Then there's Roux. Roux is sort of like an insanely perky and less Queen B version of Blair from Gossip Girl and I love it!
Also
Known As is laugh out loud funny. But there were a few times (very few, not deal breaking stuff here) that I wish the description had been able to keep up with the dialogue. Sometimes the dialogue would run on for half a page before I saw a single burst of description. The dialogue was entertaining enough to carry those parts all on its own, but still, it would have made the book feel slightly more well rounded. But it was a quick read and it definitely held my attention and made me laugh, so all is forgiven.
If you're a fan of Ally Carter or any an all things spy or thief related, or maybe just looking for a fun read, you need to read Also Known As. It will keep you guessing, and laughing, until the very end. Robin Benway has now been added to my list of must-read authors!
This review was first posted at https://www.prettyinfiction.com/2013/02/review-also-known-as-by-robin-benway.html
The Indigo Spell by Richelle Mead
Publisher: Razorbill
Publish Date: February 12th, 2013
Rating: Can I give it a bazillion jillion stars or is that pushing it? Fiiiinneee.
“In the aftermath of a forbidden moment that rocked Sydney to her core, she finds herself struggling to draw the line between her Alchemist teachings and what her heart is urging her to do. Then she meets alluring, rebellious Marcus Finch--a former Alchemist who escaped against all odds, and is now on the run. Marcus wants to teach Sydney the secrets he claims the Alchemists are hiding from her. But as he pushes her to rebel against the people who raised her, Sydney finds that breaking free is harder than she thought. There is an old and mysterious magic rooted deeply within her. And as she searches for an evil magic user targeting powerful young witches, she realizes that her only hope is to embrace her magical blood--or else she might be next.”
The Indigo Spell by Richelle Mead is the third book in the Bloodlines series. If you haven't read the first two books yet, STOP WHATEVER YOU'RE DOING AND READ THEM RIGHT NOW. Okay, so where was I? Oh, yes! The Indigo Spell. It's... It's... It just sort of leaves me with an overwhelming feeling of GAHHH!!!!! I bought the book the second it came out but couldn't reign in my emotions enough to write this review for weeks afterward (and it's still just a gushing rant). I'm still floating on a cloud of Sydrian feels!
Richelle Mead has this way of writing where you can become completely addicted and lost inside the world she's created. It's incredible, really. I was inside the book, and loving every minute of it, as I was reading. There were so many things that made The Indigo Spell incredible, but what draws me to this series is the main character.
Sydney, after everything she's been through, is a much lighter character this time around. I guess she's more comfortable around everyone and with magic and everything. Also, she's much more comfortable around Adrian which is quite evident in all of their easy conversations and banter. The formality has started to melt away and she's starting to just be Sydney. And I love Sydney Sage. I'll admit, I was unsure of her when I heard she was the main character of the spin off series. I loved Adrian and he needed someone worthy of his love and was Sydney worthy? Yes. She was. In every sense.
Sydney is a fighter, not in the physical sense that Rose is, but she will tooth and nail fight for what she believes. Plus she cracks me up. She's got a personality that not only balances, but matches Adrian's. I think that's what draws me to this series so much. It's one of the few series where I'm in love with the female lead just as much, if not more (sorry Adrian, but you understand), than the male lead. I have the biggest girl crush on her. I want to be her. And not because I'd get Adrian by default, but because I admire her strength and character. She doesn't swoon over Adrian (well, she does, but not without him earning it first). There's one line in particular (or conversation really):
“I’ll just love you whether you want me to or not.”
The attendant came by with hot towels, putting our conversation on hold and allowing his slightly disturbing words to hang in the air between us. I was dumbfounded and couldn’t muster a response until after she came back to collect the cloths.
“Whether I want you to or not? What on earth does that mean?”
Adrian grimaced. “Sorry. That came off creepier than I intended. I just mean, I don’t care if you say we can’t be together. I don’t care if you think I’m the most evil, unnatural creature walking the earth.” {The Indigo Spell, Chapter 2}
Sydney, even though she's having all of these conflicted feelings towards Adrian, still finds his words "slightly disturbing". I appreciate that. So many other female characters would just immediately swoon, but Sydney hears the stalkery-ness and says hold up. And of course, being perfect for Sydney, Adrian isn't a stalker and admits to the creepiness he was putting down and rewords his sentiment. This is why I love her. She's logical and cautious and acts like any normal person would in her circumstances.
One of my favorite parts of this book was the way Sydney's relationship with her history teacher/mentor Ms. Terwilliger progressed. It really became the kind of relationship that Sydney seems to be missing with her parents, or at least her father. And along with that relationship came Sydney's new found magical skills. The magic and witchcraft in this series gets kicked up to a whole new level of badassery and I loved every second of it. It was incredible to see this girl who cringed away from magic in the first book become this magical warrior.
I don't know why, but I couldn't for the life of me guess what was coming. And I don't know about anybody else, but Best. Ending. Ever. I won't say anymore for anyone who hasn't had the pleasure yet, but AGRKEJEKNDHEKSLMSHDNEVDKAK! Yeah. That was my emotions during a certain little scene in Malibu. Then at the very end I was just shaking my head and tipping my hat to Mead. She managed to take something that was pretty obvious and make me forget all about it until it was right in front of my face. Thank god I only have to wait until November for The Fiery Heart!
After a lot of hype, The Indigo Spell lives up to every ounce of it. Although I do hope they don't push The Fiery Heart quite so much. Sometimes hyping a book to death will literally hype the book to death. It'll make it so no book could ever live up to the expectations put upon it. Luckily, I've never known a Richelle Mead novel—especially one revolving around Adrian Ivashkov—to leave me with shattered expectations, so no worry this time, but in the future, publishers take head! Cool the hype and let the awesomeness of a book sell itself. Especially one revolving around Adrian Ivashkov ;)
P.S. Someone needs to make and sell those A.Y.E. shirts online. I NEED ONE!!!!
This review was first published at https://www.prettyinfiction.com/2013/03/review-indigo-spell-by-richelle-mead.html
The Teenage Liberation Handbook by Grace Llewellyn
I'm starting to suspect I'm not normal. I read this book (which is supposedly 'life-changing'), and found myself mentally arguing with the author the whole way. Then again, all the friend's I've showed this book to so far agree with me. So, be warned, this is going to become less of a review and more of a "why I don't agree with this" rant.
Ok, so we start off with an analogy about wanting to eat fruits and learning to eat that no matter how hard I imagine, I cannot accept as being an analogy for school. But if I start a literature analysis this post will double in length so I will stop here.
Before we even reach part one, the authoress says to kids who actually enjoy school "Maybe I have something to learn about docility. Or maybe I have a healthy aversion to something dead in people that should be alive." Wow, I'm insulted and I'm not even in the first chapter. I can't even express how insulting this is to Malala, a brave girl who got shot in the head by Taliban for going to school. In fact, I call your bluff and say that those who enjoy school are the ones who are really alive. They know what school really means, and don't waste their time complaining. And so, we reach:
Part 1 - Making the Decision
Apparently, rules = lack of freedom, and minors are "one of the most oppressed groups of people in the U.S., and certainly the most discriminated against legally." Here I was u
nder the impression that minors get treated better by the law (look at the penalties for crimes for minors and adults. Look at why that rapist in India is so anxious to be tried as a juvenile). After all, we have a phrase called "kids gloves". It certainly doesn't mean something like "worst every treatment". The freedom they speak of are things like "I don't have to raise my hand to speak", "[In school] you had to have permission to go to the bathroom". I'm sorry, maybe it's because I'm Asian, but how is that restrictive? That's called having respect for one another. In real life, you don't interrupt a conversation, you find a way to catch your partner's attention (like by raising your hand). In real life, when you're with a group of people, it's normal to excuse yourself to the bathroom.
In Chapter Two, we find out that "School is not for learning". The main arguments are that schools use passive learning, busywork and prioritize appearance over reality. That is how school is? Wow, to think I learnt how to debate in school, how to research a topic of my choice in school, how to think in school. I never knew that was called passive. I never knew the the multiple drafts I wrote for one essay was called busywork. I thought I was learning how to refine my writing skills. I didn't know that whenever my teachers did things like inviting guests to share their experiences with us (for example, what is it like to live in a welfare state?), that was appearance over reality (a favourite literature theme for us anyway).
And look, a quick quiz!
"Which has more books, a school or a library?" Hmm.... most of the time, probably my school. The local library isn't very big, unless you're talking about regional or national libraries. Plus, if you're into researching stuff, school libraries are really helpful (the librarians will help you get the books too!)
"Which has better books, a school or library?" See above.
"Where are you made to read deadly textbooks?" Hey, I LIKE my textbooks. They're actually quite interesting.
"Where can you read at your own pace, for your own pleasure, without being tested and tricked and otherwise disturbed?" My home. But then again, all the books are from the school library.