Book Review - Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor

Often times I come across books that I like so much, I just have to tell someone right this minute. Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor is one such example. During the last year, I have stayed away from young adult paranormal romance. I was tired of the same mythological creatures being paired together in every combination one could imagine (Fairies! Vampires! Werewolves! Witches! Angels! Zombies! Oh my!). I was also tired of the love triangles and the endless examples of wimpy female protagonists. When I met new characters, I want to be able to actually believe in their decisions and emotions, not have an overwhelming desire to march into the middle of the story and shake them until their teeth rattle around in their empty little heads. So, I cut back.

I was at this point when I picked up Daughter of Smoke and Bone. I knew it got great reviews in all the literature, which goes a long way towards convincing me it's worth a read. I was not disappointed. Although the author does use the words 'angel' and 'devil' in the opening lines of her book, the actual beings the author has created are very far removed from the typical Christian mythology. The 'devils', or chimera, in particular are as fantastical as my little fantasy loving heart could wish, evoking visions of the creatures from Pan's Labrinth and the darkest fairy tales. Additionally, the main female protagonist is the perfect blend of capable and vulnerable. True, she gets embroiled in a star-crossed romance, but she's no wilting flower. She fights just as hard for her family and her own future as she does for her man. She also (dare I utter the words) has interests and passions outside of her relationship. Pinch me, I'm dreaming. In short, Daughter of Smoke and Bone is a paranormal romance that I can recommend with enthusiasm. I will also be blogging about the book in December via the King County Library blog, Book Talk. See my draft review below and check this book out!

"'Once upon a time, an angel and a devil fell in love...it did not end well.'

With that cryptic opening line, readers are swept into the Gothic, romantic world of modern day Prague in winter. We meet Karou, a beautiful young art student with blue hair, who draws fantastical creatures that look like something out of a dark fairy tale. She often tells her friends that her hair grows blue naturally and the beings that she draws are real, but of course no one believes her.

Unbeknownst to her friends, Karou is telling the truth. She has lived a double life for as long as she can remember. Some of the time she lives the life of a student with a mysterious past and the rest, she runs errands for her magical adopted family. More specifically, Karou is sent all over the world to collect teeth for her guardian, Brimstone - a creature that is half-man and half-ram. Brimstone buys teeth in exchange for wishes, some small and some very large indeed. Karou loves the creatures, called chimera, who brought her up, but she has always been curious about her past. What made these fantastical beings adopt and care for a human infant? Who and what is Karou?

Karou begins her journey to find the answers when she encounters Akiva. Akiva is a seraphim, a winged creature of fire. Akiva and his followers have been leaving burning hand prints on the magic doors that Karou and her family use to travel the globe. The two forge an instant connection that leaves them wondering if they have ever met before. With Akiva's help, Karou will indeed discover the key to her past, but the answers that she finds may prove to be impossible to bear.

Taylor writes a fantastical, romantic adventure, filled with beautiful descriptions and a whole new take on the mythology of 'angels' and 'devils'. Readers should absolutely check this book out, but be warned, it is the first in a trilogy - we have a bit of wait time until the next book comes out!"

Librarian Vocabulary -- "the item is a product of its time"

I often find myself using this particular bit of librarian lingo. As I spend much of my time interacting with co-workers and other library students (I know you're very surprised) I forget that this is not something that people use in everyday conversation.

I will most often use this phrase when discussing books that were written in the past. Basically what it means is that the item in question will have images, phrases, words or ideas that are considered anything from rude to outright offensive and even perhaps bigoted. In spite of this, the item in question is not without merit. I know the idea that a book may contain both offensive material and an excellent story or other good points may be odd to think about, but consider the following example.

The Adventures of Tintin by Hergé.
Children always clamor to read this series of comics and I don't blame them. The illustrations dynamic and colorful -- and so are the characters. Tintin himself is everything I wanted to be when I grew up. He is many things, among them clever, curious, interesting, talented, adventurous, a reporter, a detective and a friend. Tintin is a more relatable type of Indiana Jones -- adventuring with his ever-present companions Snowy the dog and Captain Haddock rather than lovely women. Tintin and the rest of Hergé's cast of characters solve mysteries in every conceivable locale across the globe. The volume within this series that causes the most controversy is "The Adventures of Tintin in the Congo" and rightly so. The African people that Tintin encounters within this adventure are presented in a manner that is incredibly offensive (see image below for a more descriptive example).

A frame from the comic "Tintin in the Congo"

I would use the phrase "this series is a product of its time" in this case to make sure that patrons knew that this volume was a part of the series and to be aware that it had some offensive material in it. Hergé began writing and illustrating this adventure in the early 1930s. Does that excuse the offensive material? No, but readers need to be aware of how common these views were. Does this series still have merit? Well, as always, it must be a personal decision, but I believe so. And so, for that matter, do Steven Spielberg and Peter Jackson, who are making an animated movie of one of Tintin's adventures that is coming to theaters in December 2011. Read the comics before you see the movie!

Experiencing Edgar Allan Poe

Not so long ago, I made a promise to myself to read something a little spooky every Halloween. I am a complete wimp - a trailer for a scary movie is enough to give me nightmares. So, I decided to start fairly low on my personal freak out scale and re-read some of my favorite Edgar Allan Poe stories. Poe is not just a dusty classic book hidden away somewhere in a library anymore. Instead, there are many different ways to experience Poe - whether it be for the first time or the tenth and whether you want to read the unabridged version or look at some creepy pictures.

I like looking...        

One of my recent discoveries was two graphic novel collections of Edgar Allan Poe stories. Gris Grimley - the illustrator - has done a particularly good job of creating a haunted, moody atmosphere through his artwork. Although graphic novels are often decried by their critics as being unacceptable reading material, I have always found them to be excellent doorways to classic literature for people (and I count myself in this crowd) who don't want to read the entire text in the original. Give either Edgar Allan Poe's Tales of Mystery and Madness or Edgar Allan Poe's Tales of Death and Dementia, both illustrated by Gris Grimley a try.

I like listening...

My graduate school years have marked the first time in my life I have had to deal with a long commute (I know, I know, I can hear my audience rolling their eyes). But to a girl who's longest wait time prior to this was about 15 minutes, it was a bit shocking. However, one upside to sitting in traffic has been a new appreciation for audio books. As I was browsing the library's book on CD collection I stumbled upon a collection of Edgar Allan Poe stories that had been adapted for radio in the 1940s and 1950s. Not only did these stories completely distract me through rush hour traffic, I also got to hear 40s/50s era radio shows - complete with sound effects, famous voices and tobacco and smoking commercials like you would not believe. Listening to these stories was a fun look into the past - if you can find this particular collection, I highly suggest you give it a listen. This is Edgar Allan Poe Smithsonian Legendary Performers Series.

I like reading...

If you do simply want to give Poe a read in the original, look for a set of his complete works. Most of his stories are not novel length, so it's easy to while away an evening reading several of his short stories. Also, after listening to stories that I had not read in a long time ("The Pit and the Pendulum" anyone?) I wanted to re-read them to see how closely the audio adaptations followed the actual story. Also (and I didn't remember this until recently) Poe wrote a great series of stories about a brilliant Parisian detective. So even if spooky reading isn't your thing, the mysteries might interest you. Reading Poe is always fun - and at times where real life can be tough, it's interesting to escape to a place where even inanimate objects like the trees and ground can be gloomy and atmospheric. Look for The Complete Tales and Poems of Edgar Allan Poe at your local library.

Liberoriate -- explanations on the name of this blog

There was a time, not so long ago, when everyone knew exactly what librarians did. They sat behind a giant, wooden reference desk in state. Their gimlet eyes surveyed you as you crossed the room towards them, like some kind of ancient ruler awaiting a subject to beg a favor. If you phrased your question in a way that pleased them, they might point a commanding finger in the direction you must go to attain your goal. If you were really lucky, they might remove themselves from their throne and actually show you the treasure you sought. You would leave, having attained whatever document it was that would save your psychology paper from being, at best, a well worded but unsupported argument. Above all, you would be awed - nay, grateful beyond measure - that the supreme guardian of information had actually given you a few moments of their time and helped you find something.

Fast forward to my last dental appointment. I'm just finishing my final year in school and am very close to completing my Masters in Library and Information Science (MLIS). I also had been feeling the need to get my teeth checked. Having been asked the inevitable question (You need a masters degree to work as a LIBRARIAN?) that every library student across the globe has been asked countless times I had felt myself more or less prepared to answer and defend my profession whenever I met someone new. However, at this particular time, I was at a distinct disadvantage. My mouth was propped open with something that tasted nasty and the nice lady who was cleaning my teeth was plying her instruments  with what I can only describe as cheerful, rampant enthusiasm. It was the moment when my mouth was being rinsed that she chose to proclaim "I don't see why we even need librarians anymore - I mean, we have Google, right?". She chattered on, oblivious to my gurgles of outrage and slit-eyed, glaring visage (I suppose she could have put that down to the light she was shining in my face). It was until later, when the (one-sided) conversation had moved on and I was again able to close my mouth that I gave some thought to what she had said.

The general public doesn't really know what librarians do. Indeed, before I went to library school, I didn't really have a clear idea of what librarians did. They just got to play with books all day, right? I was thinking this over when I posted a question to my circle of Facebook acquaintances. "You know what I just thought of? Librarians don't really have a verb. I mean, teachers teach and actors act but librarians don't exactly 'library', you know what I'm saying?". My friends and colleagues came to the rescue (as they always do) and offered alternatives (made up words) as well as several actual verbs. The made up word you see at the top of the blog here - "Liberoriate" was my favorite. The actual verbs were many. We refer, we teach, we acquire, we catalog, we find, we liberate, we direct, we help, we read, we suggest (or recommend), we organize, "or if we're really lucky, we tell stories" (thanks Scott!). So, for my own peace of mind, I decided to start a blog where I could practice my awesome (my own word) librarianship degree and present myself as an approachable and capable librarian (that's the 'portfolio' pages you might glimpse). I'll store my favorite web and print resources here and practice the fine art of reader's advisory, which I'm always trying to improve. This is my craft and I hope as you watch me practice it (dear-non-existent reader) that you'll come to understand what it is that librarians do. Liberoriate away!