Dancing with Ana by Nicole Barker

Stars: ***1/2

The Golden Road Press (2009)
Teen Fiction
170 pages

Summary: Beth has a great life, a loving family and three best friends. Beth and most of her friends decide to go on a diet but it gets a little out of control for Beth. 

The title says it all. Ana is short form for Anorexia and Beth is indeed dancing with it. She doesn't quite develop into full Anorexia needing hospitalization and treatment but she does get quite close. Luckily she realizes what she is doing to herself and is able to stop. With true Anorexia, the person doesn't see what they are doing to themselves because they have warped view of themselves.

I think the fact that Beth comes from a good family shows teenage girls that struggles with diet and even eating disorders can happen to anyone. The story was simple and it's short enough that the story doesn't get too in depth. For some this may not be a good thing but I think it's perfect for teenage girls. When it comes to reading about struggles, a lot can be too much.

Although the story is mainly about Beth, a bit about her friend Rachel is covered. It's a sub-plot I guess. Adding a bit about her seemed to make the book not too monotonous. The book doesn't only cover Beth's struggle with weight loss either. It includes her romance with her boyfriend Jeremy and her relationship with her friends, teachers and parents.

Recommended for girls 12-16, especially if they struggle with their weight, (whether their weight is above normal or not.)

Links of Interest: Dancing With Ana,

Other Reviews: Nose in a Book, Missy's Book Nook, Kay's Bookshelf, Miss Remmer's Review, Tales of a Book Addict, Crazy for Books, Diary of an Eccentric, Cheryl's Book Nook,

Buy Dancing With Ana at Amazon.com and support SMS Book Reviews

*I received a copy of this book for review. All reviews are honest and are not affected in any way by how I received the book.

Two new pieces in my Etsy shop

Columbia River



I just added these mixed media works, Columbia River and camping with bears.  At the moment, I'm enjoying working on smaller pieces that can be completed within a couple of hours.  I have a large oil painting in progress on an easel, but I'm waiting for another wave of inspiration.  Hopefully it'll happen in the next few weeks, I'm starting to get a little antsy.

camping with bears



Here are a couple of other pieces I worked on this week, but they didn't make the cut- for now. 

Everything Sucks: Losing My Mind and Finding Myself in a High School Quest for Cool by Hannah Friedman

Stars: *****

HCI Teens (2009)
Teen Nonfiction (Memoir)
264 pages

Summary: Hannah Friedman's life sucks. So she sets out to change it. After a strange early and middle childhood she enters one of the country's most prestigious boarding schools on scholarship and transforms herself into everything she is not: cool. By senior year, she has a perfect millionaire boyfriend, a perfect GPA, a perfect designer wardrobe, and is part of the most popular clique in school, but somehow everything begins to suck far worse than when she first started. Her newfound costly drug habit, eating disorder, identity crisis, and Queen-Bee attitude lead to the unraveling of Hannah's very unusual life. She manages to put it all back together but it's not easy.


When I was approached by the author herself to review this book, the title and summary brought me back to my high school years. I realize they weren't all that long ago but I enjoy reading of others adventures in high school. I was a little unsure about the book, not sure if it would be good or not but I'm glad I accepted because it was awesome!

I just LOVE the chapter titles. They each have the work suck in them such as: Family Sucks, Periods Suck, Diets Suck, Love Sucks etc.... I zipped through the book in a few days because it was engaging. I remember telling my husband about the book too which I don't do often because he's not a reader and usually could careless. However if I really enjoy a book, I ramble on and on about it to him. The fact that on Amazon.com it has a four and a half star average rating and NO ratings below three (as of this post anyways) tells me that I'm not the only one to enjoy this book.

The writing style is what kept me captivated. It was almost like the author was sitting across from me telling me her story, which to me is a sign of a good memoir. Her stories were funny but also in some ways amazing. A few times I was wondering if something really happened to her, it just seemed a bit extreme. The story, even thought it's true, carries some important lessons about being who you are, and not who you think you should be. Hannah finds out the hard way that being cool isn't everything. I think hearing this from a true memoir drives the point home more than a fiction novel with the same lesson.

Recommended for Ages 14 and up, including those who are not in high school anymore but enjoy reading about it.

Links of Interest: Hannah Friedman, Hannah on Twitter, Hannah on YouTube, 

Other Reviews: Book Addiction, Stephanie's Confessions of a Book-a-holic, Shooting Stars Mag, Write for a Reader, Pop Culture Junkie, Presenting Lenore,

Buy Everything Sucks at amazon.com and support SMS Book Reviews

*I received a copy of this book in exchange for a review. All reviews are honest and are not affected in any way by how I came by the book.

In My Mailbox Monday - Mar 29

This is the day when I highlight all the new books that have come into my house since the last time I participated.

In My Mailbox is hosted at The Story Siren while Mailbox Monday is hosted at The Printed Page. Since they are basically the same meme, I do them together. Check the links to find posts from others.

So what have I received for review?

Dear Diary, I'm Pregnant: Ten Real Life Stories Interviews by Anrenee Englander (Annick Press)
Interviews with pregnant teens, teens who were pregnant, teens who had abortions, teens who placed child for adoption and teens who are or were raising their children.

Animal Snoops: The Wondrous World of Wildlife Spies by Peter Christie (Annick Press)
Just what it says - animal spies! It's children's nonfiction

How Do You Read to a Rabbit? by Andrea Wayne von Konigslow (Annick Press)
Could you read to bunnies, camels or dolphins? Why not? Picture book


Chicken, Pig, Cow and the Purple Problem by Ruth Ohi (Annick Press)
The third in a series that I've been reviewing here. Cute picture book.

Didn't I Feed You Yesterday?: A Mother's Guide to Sanity in Stilettos by Laura Bennett (Ballantine Books)
Laura Bennett from Project Runway Season 3, mother of six children (five boys and one girl) shares her approach to parenting. Seem's very funny.

That's it!

How it all began

My mother dropped by yesterday with a box of memorabilia.  Included in the box were my class pictures from elementary school.  Here's my 2nd grade class picture; that's me in the upper right hand corner.  I remember how much I loved that vest! The back was this pink, satiny material. 



Miss Newson was my second grade teacher, and I adored her.  She had a cool silver streak in her hair, and she was always so kind to me.  I remember one day I was coloring a picture with a ship in it.  She asked me if I wanted to be part of a program for kids who wanted to learn more about art.  I enthusiastically said yes, and for the next six years I was regularly pulled out of my classroom to participate in art classes taught by specialists in the Portland area.  I took courses in weaving, still life drawing, and even clay animation. 



My artistic abilities and passions grew in those formative years.  Because of these experiences and teachers like Miss Newson, I became a public school teacher myself.  So, this picture is more than a walk down memory lane.  In a way, it represents the start of my journey as an artist.

Spiked Scorpions & Walking Whales: Modern Animals, Ancient Animals and Water by Claire Eamer

,

Stars: ***1/2

This is the second similar book by Claire Eamer. I've reviewed Super Crocs & Monster Wings as well.

Summary: Following in the steps of Super Crocs & Monster Wings, this highly engaging book looks at six different groups of animals that are linked with the place where all life began – the water. Featuring the 110-million-year-old platypus, the mysterious colossal squid, Sea scorpions as large as crocodiles and the Demon Duck of Doom, a giant, flightless Australian bird with legs built for walking and a beak the size of a suitcase.

These books are great for learning about science and any child wanting to know more about where today's animals evolved from will enjoy these books. The Demon Duck of Doom (mentioned in summary) is so big and scary looking I'm glad it's not still around!

This book not only covers specific animals but also talks about how important water is to so many animals. There is also an interesting page that shows what the evolution of some animals would look like if the earth's total age was condensed into one year. For example:

"Earth forms on the first day of January"
"Bizarre soft-bodied creatures fill the oceans in mid-November."
"On December 27, an asteroid strikes Earth, bringing death to the dinosaurs and many other species."

Doing it this way shows how most of what's happened on the Earth happened in the last few billion years.

The book is full of photos of modern animals and detailed drawings of what their ancient counterparts probably looked like.

I found this book wasn't quite as good as Super Crocs and Monster Wings but was still a good nonfiction science read for children.

Links of Interest: Claire Eamer,

Other Reviews: NONE YET

Buy Spiked Scorpions & Walking Whales at amazon.com and support SMS Book Reviews

*I received a copy of this book in exchange for a review. All reviews are honest and are not affected in any way by how I came by the book.

Week in Review (Mar 21-Mar 27)

Here's what happened this week:

In My Mailbox Monday - Mar 22
Straight Talk for Teenage Girls by Annette Fuson
The 5 Love Languages by Gary Chapman
Free Hans Wilhelm Children's Books in PDF Format (Out of Print)
My Story The Great Plague: A London Girls' Diary 1665-1666 by Pamela Oldfield
Cake Wrecks by Jen Yates
Books with an Environment Theme
Booking Through Thursday - on Friday "Break"
I Am Nujood: Age 10 and Divorced by Nujood Ali with Delphine Minoui
Juggling, Cooking and Acting Immature

What else?

Caught up with some reviews but still have more to catch up on. I like writing reviews but I find it so hard to concentrate with my kids around. At night when they're sleeping, I'm too tired to think. I'd love some suggestions from other parents of preschoolers who blog.

About the Upcoming Week  

Expect review of all kinds of books: adult fiction, teen fiction, picture books, klutz kits, nonfiction etc...

Juggling, Cooking and Acting Immature

Juggling for the Complete Klutz and John Cassidy and B.C. Rinbeaux
Stars: ***

This is actually the 30th Anniversary edition of Juggling for the Complete Klutz. It comes with three Juggling beanbag squares and a small book of information.

You'll find some good information in this book, not only on how to do the moves but also some information on how your brain gets confused when you are learning juggling.

After you learn the basics, you'll find information on juggling with more than one person, juggling with other objects, circle juggling and a few other fun ideas.

Since this is the 30th Anniversary the back two pages of the book is a little scrapbook with cover art from the first 5 editions of the book, some old photographs and letters and news clippings although you don't get to read them all.

There is at least one typo, "Road that last line again," but overall it's a cute and helpful book.

Kids Cooking: A Very Slightly Messy Manual by Editors of Klutz
Stars: ****

Summary: 45 savory samples of kid-do-able kitchen crafts and cuisine, including Giant Soap Bubbles, Not So-Sloppy Joes, Frozen Bananoids and lots more.

This cute book/kit is listed as for ages 5 and up but with proper parental help/supervision (which is needed for a 5 year old too) you could do at least some of these with a 3 or 4 year old. The book is made of thick, wipe-able pages and comes with a set of plastic measuring spoons.

The book has 5 sections: Breakfasts, Lunches/Snacks, Dinners/Salads, Desserts and Not to Eat. The Not to Eat section includes play dough, face paint, finger paints, giant soap bubbles and Fido's fabulous people crackers.

After some kitchen rules, you'll find Metric Conversion Tables. The recipes are in Imperial but with the aid of the charts, those who use Metric can easily follow the recipes. Each recipe has illustrations of ingredients, methods and some just for fun illustrations too. Each recipe lists prep time, bake time and total servings. The illustrations are a nice touch. This is a good book that the kids will enjoy looking at too instead of just listening to the instructions from their parent/guardian.

The Encyclopedia of Immaturity Volume 2 by the Editors of Klutz
Stars: ****

Are you a kid in no hurry to grow up? Or an adult who wishes he/she was still a kid? Then this is the book for you? This book has ALL kinds of crazy activities (or shenanigans as it says on the cover.) Here is just a short list of possible fun:

• Air Guitar
• Dog Couture
• Frozen Underapnts
• How to Bark Like a Dog
• How to Fake a Cold
• How to  Make a Lasso
• How to Make Bird Poop
• How to Play the Spoons
• Make a Juice Box Straw Rocket
• Slappy Games
• History of Flip-Flop Mail
• World's Funniest Joke
• and MUCH MUCH MUCH more!

Check out all the Klutz Books and Kits at Amazon.com! If you purchase through this link you can support SMS Book Reviews.

* I received these books in exchange for a review.  How I got these books has no bearing on my review.

I Am Nujood, Age 10 and Divorced by Nujood Ali with Delphine Minoui

Stars: *****

Three Rivers Press (2010) - division of Random House
Memoir
188 pages


Summary: Nujood is married off at age 10 to a man three times her age. He promises to not touch her till the year after she has her first period but does not keep his promise. He also beats her. Fed up with this life, Nujood runs away to the courthouse to get a divorce. This is the first time a young wife has ever done this and she sets a standard for Yemeni women.

The story is told in alternating chapters going from the past when she was married off and early marriage life to the present when she is filing for divorce, including court proceedings.

It's a short read but includes everything you need to know about Nujood's life, marriage and divorce. It's a bit hard to read at times but the most shocking part of all is for those of you who have or know of a 10 year old girl, to imagine her in Nujood's circumstances.

Nujood's story made me proud to be a woman and sad that women and girls in other countries are being treated the way they are.

Sidenote:
Her story caught the attention of the press around the world and Glamour Magazine gave Nujood Ali the Woman of the Year Award alongside others such as Hillary Clinton and Condoleezza Rice.

All is not necessarily well though: Child bride Nujood Ali's life after divorce.

Links of Interest: A 10-year-old Divorcee Takes Paris (TIME), (Unofficial) Nujood Ali on Twitter, Nujood Ali and Shada Nasser: Woman of the Year (Glamour),

Other Reviews: 5 Minutes for Books,

Buy I Am Nujood: Age 10 and Divorced at amazon.com and support SMS Book Reviews

Booking Through Thursday - On Friday - "Break"

Oops.  I forgot!!!

Yesterday's Booking Through Thursday Question Was:

Do you take breaks while reading a book? Or read it straight through? (And, by breaks, I don’t mean sleeping, eating and going to work; I mean putting it aside for a time while you read something else.)

 First of all, good thing for the clarification because I thought she did mean eating and sleeping as breaks. (Although I don't break when I eat, I often read while eating.)

I do a little of both. There are some books that get done in three days or less (sometimes 2 hours or less) and other books which are ongoing for 3-6 months. A book of 300 pages may last me 2 days or 2 months. It really depends. I always have LOTS of books going at a time (by LOTS I mean 4+.) Some of those books I won't end up reading the whole thing of either because I didn't like it enough and stopped reading it or I only needed to read certain parts of it. Most get finished though.

I usually have at least one of the following going at one time:

• adult nonfiction
• children's nonfiction
• teen or middle grade fiction
• picture books

How about you?

Vending machines that dispense art

I first heard about Art-o-mat when I was teaching in Eugene many years ago.  A fellow colleague told me about a vintage cigarette vending machine that dispensed miniature art at the local community college for $5 apiece.  I thought it was a brilliant idea.



There are currently 82 Art-o-mats in the U.S.  Venue, the art shop in Seattle that I mentioned yesterday, has the only one in the state of Washington.  While I was at the store, a customer came in to buy art from the Art-o-mat.  She paid for a token at the counter and browsed the selection of artists listed on the vending machine.  She found a landscape artist that piqued her interest, pulled the knob, and voilá! An original work of art for just a few dollars! 

Books with an Environment Theme

Earth Hour is tomorrow at 8:30pm. Don't forget to turn off your lights and electronics for at least a on hour span to help conserve energy and make a statement!

In honour of Earth Hour, I wanted to highlight some environmentally friendly or environment related books I've reviewed here.

Observing/Learning About our Earth
Earth from Above: For Young Readers by Yann-Arthus Bertrand, Robert Burleigh
Many photos of around the world taken from a helicopter overhead.
One Well: The Story of Water on Earth by Rochelle Strauss
Where the water is, who has it, how much is used

Helping our Environment (Kids)
The Adventures of an Aluminum Can
How a can is recycled into something else
10 Things I Can Do to Help My World by Melanie Walsh
A picture book about being environmentally friendly

Helping Our Environment (Adults)
Trash Talk by Dave and Lillian Brummet
Ideas to reduce waste in and around your home


* Photo Credit: Maximo Lopez on Flickr

Amtrack it from Portland to Seattle

The beautiful ceiling in Portland's historical Union Station, which opened in 1896.  



While the kids were away for a couple of days, my husband and I decided to take a short trip to Seattle to see some friends.  We traveled by train, which is about a 3.5 hour ride to the Emerald City.   Not bad considering it can take as long or longer by car if you get stuck in Seattle traffic.

Downtown Seattle and the famous Space Needle.



We try to go to Seattle at least once a year.  I love all the hills and water surrounding the city.

Yesterday we visited the Ballard district.  For lunch, we stopped at an amazing eatery called La Carta de Oaxaca.  I loved all the beautiful photographs on the wall of the scenery and people of Oaxaca, Mexico.  A few were even illuminated from behind.  And the presentation of the food was just as impressive as the decor.  I snapped this picture of our meal before we ate it.  It was delicioso!

Mixed media painting by Seattle artist Janet Fagan and Lotus Glows made by Michelle Fokos of Luma Designs.



There is an an art retail store in Ballard that I like to go to called Venue.  The shop also functions as a studio space for several local Seattle artists.  When I first visited the shop a few years ago, I came across these great candle holders made from recycled glass.  I love how the color of the glass is illuminated onto the surface when the candle is lit!



Venue currently showcases handmade collections from over 40 artists and craftspeople.  Products carried in the stop include jewelry, stationary, soaps, linens, and handbags.  I couldn't resist these felted rocks made by Leah Adams of Spiderfelt.  They are actual rocks that are wrapped in wool! And I was so excited to finally find something to put on this wood platter-like piece in my home. Perfect!

Cake Wrecks by Jen Yates

Stars: ***

Summary: Jen Yates of the Cake Wrecks blog has made a book. The book isn't just the blog content regurgitated but has never before seen cake photos, information on Jen, the wrecks, the people who make the wrecks, the people who find the wrecks and more. If you aren't familiar with the Cake Wrecks blog, it displays professional cakes that were created wrong, fell apart, look horrible or are spelled wrong. Most are quite funny.

I must say that I had never seen the Cake Wrecks blog before I read this book so the whole concept was new to me. There has been some flack lately about books made from blogs and I do understand that to some degree but at the same time, it's a way to get the content out to those who don't read blogs. If I was a subscriber or regular reader of the Cake Wrecks blog though I wouldn't pick up the book unless I was a crazily devoted fan.

So about the cakes, they are quite funny, some are hilarious, some just make you shake your head. There is a few different categories:

Literal LOLs (the cake decorator took the instructions a little too literally.)
The Dreaded CCC (CCC stands for cupcake cake. I don't think they are all bad but these ones are.)
Beyond Bizarre (disturbing, weird, huh?)
The Poo Phenomenon (apparently most brown icing just looks like poop - seriously)
Oops (mistakes - mostly spelling)
Wedding Wrecks (wedding cakes gone bad)
What's That Supposed to Mean? (so confusing you can't figure it out)
Nuthin' To See Here.... (cakes for bachelor(ette) parties, cakes that shouldn't be dirty but look dirty and other not for kids eyes cakes)
Run Home Wrecks (sports cakes)
Baby Bottoms Up (cakes featuring babies, pregnant women and birth announcements)
Holiday Horrors (holiday cakes gone awry)
Random Wreckage (random of course!)

There are also a few other features. There are a few photos of kids making funny or quizzical faces at their cakes. The author shares some controversies the cakes she displays have created. Overall I think it was a pretty funny book that would make a great coffee table book. It does make me a little wary about ordering cakes though!

Links of Interest: Cake Wrecks Blog, Jen Yates story on Story of My Life, Interview with Jen Yates, Cake Wrecks - the Music Video, Cake Wrecks Twitter, Cake Wrecks Facebook,

Other Reviews:  Stuck in a Book, Piling on the Books,5 Minutes for Books,

Buy Cake Wrecks from amazon.com and support SMS Book Reviews

My Story: The Great Plague: A London Girl's Diary 1665-1666 by Pamela Oldfield

Stars: ****

Scholastic Canada (2001)
Children's Historical Fiction
156 pages
Ages 9-12

Summary: It's 1665 and Alice is looking forward to being back in London. But the plague is spreading quickly, and as each day passes more red crosses appear on doors. When her own aunt is struck down with the disease, Alice is forced to make a decision that could change her life forever.

For children interested in history, specifically the time of The Great Plague, this book really shows what it's like. I'm not a big historical fiction fan but if it's short and sweet like this children's book, I like it. A big plus for me is that it's written like a diary. I love books written like a diary. It covers a span of May - September. Some entries are a page or longer but most are really short. It felt real to me, like it could have passed for a true diary.

My Story is a series of books with vivid imagined accounts of life in the past. We don't have diaries from the 1600's (especially since few could read and write) but this is what they would most likely say, based on our knowledge of the past.

Links of Interest: Read an excerpt of The Great Plague, Pamela Oldfield on JacketFlap,

Other Reviews: Today's Adventure,

Buy My Story: The Great Plague on amazon.com and support SMS Book Reviews

*Thanks to Scholastic for my review copy. How I acquire books does not have any effect on my review. All reviews are honest.

Free Hans Wilhelm Children's Books in PDF Format (Out of Print)

At Children's Books Forever you can download in PDF format a bunch of Hans Wilhelm children's books that are currently Out of Print. They are free to use for any non-commercial means including classroom use with a smartboard, powerpoint or overhead projector.


The stories are really cute, with beautiful illustrations and are a great read. 

Check out the free children's books now.

Or visit Hans Wilhelm's Site.

Enjoy!

Six months and counting

My first blog post showed a photo of my work table.  This is how it looks today (just organized, of course).



It's been an incredible journey the last few months discovering so many talented artists, connecting with other art enthusiasts, and dialoguing with readers. When I first started blogging, I told myself to give it at least six months, and today marks the half year point.  Nearly 200 posts later,  I am just as compelled today to share art with others as the first day of starting Habit of Art.  My plan is to continue blogging about inspirational pieces as well as talk about my own experiences and progress as an artist.  The only thing that will change is the frequency of posts.  Instead of blogging every day, it will be about 3 - 4 times a week, so that I can focus more on creating art.



Thanks again to all of you who are reading Habit of Art!  Your encouraging words the past six months have meant so much!



Oh, and don't forget about the giveaway drawing tomorrow!  To enter a chance to win a mini notebook full of my drawings, go here. 

The Five Love Languages by Gary Chapman

Stars: *****

As I mentioned in my first post about The 5 Love Languages, I received this book as part of a tour but it didn't arrive in time and then I kept putting off writing the review for some reason.

Summary: Dr. Gary Chapman guides couples in identifying, understanding, and speaking their spouse’s primary love language—quality time, words of affirmation, gifts, acts of service, or physical touch. By learning the five love languages, you and your spouse will discover your unique love languages and learn practical steps in truly loving each other. 

The copy I received is actually a special leather-bound copy, of which amazon says: "This beautiful leather edition is the perfect gift for weddings, holidays, or any special occasion. Includes a promotional code to gain exclusive online access to the new comprehensive love languages assessment." Just a quick reminder that while it was a nice surprise to receive this nice edition, it has no bearing on how I rate or review the book.

I truly believe The 5 Love Languages should be required reading for all couples who intend to get married. Most of the marriages that end in divorce might have been saved if the couple had read and implemented the book.

The author has deduced that everyone has a love language. Some of us may fall under more than one category but we should all have one that we are more like. The Five Love Languages are:

1. Words of Affirmation (I Love You, You're Beautiful, etc..)
2. Quality Time (Doing things together while talking  - not watching TV together in silence.)
3. Receiving Gifts (Flowers, Chocolates, etc..)
4. Acts of Service (Doing dishes/laundry, child care, fixing leaky basement etc..)
5. Physical Touch (NOT Sex - massage, hand holding, touching arm while talking etc..)

Gary Chapman explains that your love language is the way that one knows that he or she is loved.  For example while I might enjoy a gift from my husband, I'd much prefer him to do some work around the house or take care of the kids (Acts of Service.) If my husband showered me with gifts and said I love you all the time but never did anything for me, I'd wonder if he really loved me. For you it may be different.

The problem is, most people try to do their love language to show their love to their partner. However if his/her love language is different from yours, they may not be feeling the love. If you want words of affirmation but your husband wants quality time and you only give words of affirmation, he's not going to feel loved. If he gives you mostly quality time but no words of affirmation, you aren't going to feel loved.

The book is amazing and the author has created many different versions of the book as well
such as The Five Love Languages:

• Men's Edition
• of Children
• of Tenagers
• Singles Edition
• of Apology

Plus he has some other books related to love languages, marriage, and more.

The author is a Christian and mentioned God once or twice but more in regards to responding to a client who talked about God. It's never preachy and you don't have to believe in a God or the Christian God to get use from the book.

Links of Interest: The 5 Love Languages (Information, quizzes etc.),  Gary Chapman,

Other Reviews: Grasping for the Wind, Alita Reads,

Buy The 5 Love Languages at Amazon.com and support SMS Book Reviews

Straight Talk for Teenage Girls by Annette Fuson

Stars: ****

Author House (2008)
Teen Nonfiction
125 Pages

Summary: Straight Talk for Teenage Girls is information to help teen girls make better choices about life situations so they will grow to adulthood successfully. Topics include: self-esteem, dealing with emotions, making decisions, friendships with girls/boys, getting out of bad situations, handling mistakes and reaching goals. Because of the self-tests, case studies at each chapter and the 50 questions from real girls, adults who work with teens use the book for discussions. The information comes from classes taught in school for over 20 years. The book is up-beat, positive and easy to understand. The mission is to help all girls make choices that will lead to a happier life.

When I was a teen I read every book I could get my hands on about puberty, being a teen, teen relationships etc... I think it is because of this that I wasn't in for any major shockers when I was a teen and I was prepared for everything fairly well. I'm always on the lookout for nonfiction for teens so that when my girls or even my nieces get to those years, I will know what to recommend.

Straight Talk for Teenage Girls is a good book for teen girls to read, to answer some of their pressing questions about all kinds of subjects: the teen years, self-esteem, common teen problems, emotions, friendships, boys vs girls, getting out of bad situations, understanding sex, mistakes, goals/dreams and more.

It's written in a way that I think makes it both easy to understand, but not as if the author is talking down to the reader. There is no judging or hidden underlying messages. I personally dislike books for teens that are slipping in "be abstinent" or other lessons into each chapter. I prefer books that give teens all the facts and let them decide.

I especially thought the section on Getting Out of Bad Situations was very well written and full of usable ideas. It includes how to leave a party you aren't comfortable at without looking uncool, how to get out of a situation that may lead to sex if you aren't ready as well as info on dating older boys and hanging around with friends who probably aren't the best friends for you. I just wish it was a bit longer.

There is a great quiz to find out if your boyfriend is right for you (good boyfriend material) which you can also find online - Is Your Boyfriend Right For You? (PDF file)

Links of Interest: Straight Talk for Teenage Girls, PUMP Interview with Annette Fuson,

Other Reviews: NONE YET


Buy Straight Talk for Teenage Girls at amazon.com and support SMS Book Reviews

In My Mailbox Monday - Mar 22

This is the day when I highlight all the new books that have come into my house since the last time I participated.

In My Mailbox is hosted at The Story Siren while Mailbox Monday is hosted at The Printed Page. Since they are basically the same meme, I do them together. Check the links to find posts from others.

So what have I received for review?

The S.T.A.R. Powered Twins: A Law of Attraction Book for Children by Dorothy A. Lecours (Received through Paula at Author Marketing Experts)
You know, the law of attraction, that using words positively is more likely to have positive results. That you should speak as if something you want to happen has already happened.

WOW: A Handbook for Living by Zen Ohashi and Zono Kurazono (Received through The Product Review Place)
This interesting book isn't pages of text like most books. It's short little ancedotes and quotes scattered all over the pages. It includes simple exercises.

That's It!

Portland/Brooklyn Artist Series, Week 6: Justin "Scrappers" Morrison

For our final week of the artist series, I interviewed Portland artist Justin "Scrappers" Morrison.  I first met Scrappers in my shop a while back.  He was writing for the Portland Mercury at the time, and now he is their Art Director.  His creative titles actually run the gamut from painter to cartographer to gallery director to even toymaker.  He spent 11 years studying photography, oceanography, and history at the college level, but eventually got his start in art on the sidewalk of Alberta Street during Portland's monthly art event, Last Thursday.  



How would you describe your work?



My work is stupid.  Stupid like the way a good tickle makes you feel.  I try to keep it stupid and style-free, so the execution doesn't get in the way of the message.  My work is about staying wild, being human animals, falling down, getting up, pushing each other to be better people, trouble-making, bio-regionalism, the west coast, beer, camping, nipples, and having fun.

photos: Anthony Georgis



What are the greatest challenges of being an artist today?



The internet.  If I post two pieces of art and people "favorite" one piece over the other, I'm going to make more pieces like the one people favored.  So avoiding the influences the internet can have on your own ideas and messages is really difficult.  The internet also makes it easy to feel famous and that shit makes people lazy one-trick ponies who are totally limited by style and expectation.  Maybe what I'm really getting at here is the influence art fans, art collectors, and art blog commenters have on artists.  It's the supply and demand relationship that's a challenge, your feedback (demand) affects my work (supply).  If you like it when I paint unicorns, I'm going to paint more unicorns even though I want to paint a tar pit eating a Scion.

What accomplishments/works of art are you most proud of?



My son Camper.  He's pure solid 100% wild human animal.  I've never been more proud of anything else.  I always wanted to be a dad, you can see it in my work if you look close enough.

All the men in my life have given me knives.  I don't know why. / I loved painting this beast, did it all for trade (fries for life).



Tell us about the biggest risk you have taken as an artist.



Every thing I make is a risk, or at least it should be.  I recently made a copy cat Chris Johanson painting and hung it in a show at Together Gallery. I even signed it Chris Johanson really big on the front.  Then I sold it for $25.  The risk there is in hoping that the art viewer will make the effort to consider the meaning of the piece.  "Why would Scrappers make a Chris Johanson painting?"  Mostly because you're not supposed to do shit like that.

I'm building an A-frame cabin in my back yard for Camper to play in.



What do you love most about Portland?



The Nature.  We have plenty of water, trees, food and all the other things that keep people living within Nature's reach.  This place isn't like LA in the sense that the city is on life support.  Environmentally speaking, this is a healthy place to live.

Campaign for the American Indian College Fund that Scrappers was part of. / A recent show at Gallery 1988.



What makes Portland such a great place for independent art?



We all keep each other motivated and inspire each other to make impossible ideas happen.



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In upcoming months, you can see Scrappers' art at Portland gallery Grass Hut and Gallery 1988 in Los Angeles.  He has also been working on a large map project for Oregon Tourism.  See his illustrative maps of Oregon here. 



And be sure to check out Art Hound's interview with Brooklyn artist Kevin Cyr. 

Unique sketchbooks

While we're on the topic of sketchbooks, here are a few items I have been eying.

clockwise:

Death in Art journal, the time is now 

Bookcushion, fox & bear

Pocket Notebook Three Pack, Emily Martin (The Black Apple)

Handcrafted Blank Book, Wee Bindery

Week in Review (Mar 14 - 20)

Here's what happened this week:

April Read-a-thons
In My Mailbox Monday - Mar 15
I'd Like to Thank My Crew
All A Twitter by Tee Morris
How to Steal a Car by Pete Hautman
Barnes and Noble Ratings and YA (looking for feedback on this one.)

Plus I picked a winner for the Happy Birthday To You Giveaway.

What else?

I didn't stick to my schedule very well this week. I was suppose to be getting a whole bunch of book reviews done too and didn't. l'll have to mass type reviews today and tomorrow and just set them to post each day.  Also we found out my youngest child has asthma but she refuses to take her inhaler. Screams and screams.


Check out my weekly wordle (a wordle of the words used in my blog posts for this week)
Click for bigger picture.




About the Upcoming Week  

Expect lots of book reviews as I try to catch up on books read but not reviewed yet. (Yes I know I said that last week but this time's for real!) Also Monday I'm participating in a Pump Up Your Book Tour.  

Giveaway: A Pocketbook Gallery!

There is much to celebrate in the next week and a half- the start of Spring, six months of blogging, and my birthday! It seems the perfect time to run another giveaway, and as mentioned in yesterday's post, up for grabs is a Pocketbook Gallery!  It's a little book full of original drawings and clippings of my sketches (31 to be exact). Some of the pages are perforated, so the art can easily be displayed or shared. See more pics on my Flickr page.



For a chance to win this unique gift, all you need to do is write a comment below on what has been your favorite post.  One name will be randomly drawn on Wednesday, March 24th at 9p PST.   The winner will be notified immediately after the drawing, so make sure there is a way for me to contact you via your blogger profile.  Oh, and I'll ship it to wherever you are in the world!  



Good luck, and I look forward to reading your comments!



UPDATE: Congratulations to Moodymama.  Your name was drawn as the winner of the pocketbook gallery giveaway!

Exploring new ideas

I'm a homebody, but my mind often thinks about lands elsewhere. A theme that I have been studying recently is exploration.  Two new pieces I added to my shop this week include arctic explorer and balloon race.  Both are mixed media works that embody this idea of adventure and exploration of different landscapes.  I'm curious and excited to see how this new theme will develop further in my work.  I already have some ideas for the next piece.  I'm thinking covered wagons. 

I have also been sketching a lot this week, which I'm happy about.  I'm actually putting together another pocketbook gallery that will be my next giveaway prize.  More on this tomorrow!