I have a plan to stand outside every theater playing Snow White and the Huntsman and hand out copies of Lies, Knives, and Girls in Red Dresses to anyone who is crying. I’ll say, “I know, I know – it feels like you’ve just seen your favorite classic fairy tale get hit over the head with a frying pan and buried in the yard. I get that. But this will bring it back to life!” And I don’t think I’ll be exaggerating. Lies written by Ron Koertge and illustrated by Andrea Dezso, is a collection of fairy tales retold as free-verse poetry, paired with folksy black paper cut illustrations. Sometimes Koertge channels that bleak, gruesome world of 18th century Brother’s Grimm fairy tales, and sometimes he resets the stories in our modern world. No matter – all are told with the same unshakable smirk. Here’s my favorite quote, from Koertge’s adaption of The Little Match Girl: “She’s selling CDs on the corner / fifty cents to any stoner / any homeboy with a boner.” Cheeky! But what makes this collection brilliant isn’t its obvious irreverence. Koertge uses his dirty wit to make moving, often painful insights about fairy tale morality, defined by a primitive faith in good and evil that still rears its ugly head a lot today. So if you like fairy tales, read Lies, Knives, and Girls in Red Dresses! (Billy Collins recommends it, according to the jacket flap!)

I have a plan to stand outside every theater playing Snow White and the Huntsman and hand out copies of Lies, Knives, and Girls in Red Dresses to anyone who is crying. I’ll say, “I know, I know – it feels like you’ve just seen your favorite classic fairy tale get hit over the head with a frying pan and buried in the yard. I get that. But this will bring it back to life!” And I don’t think I’ll be exaggerating. Lies written by Ron Koertge and illustrated by Andrea Dezso, is a collection of fairy tales retold as free-verse poetry, paired with folksy black paper cut illustrations. Sometimes Koertge channels that bleak, gruesome world of 18th century Brother’s Grimm fairy tales, and sometimes he resets the stories in our modern world. No matter – all are told with the same unshakable smirk. Here’s my favorite quote, from Koertge’s adaption of The Little Match Girl: “She’s selling CDs on the corner / fifty cents to any stoner / any homeboy with a boner.” Cheeky! But what makes this collection brilliant isn’t its obvious irreverence. Koertge uses his dirty wit to make moving, often painful insights about fairy tale morality, defined by a primitive faith in good and evil that still rears its ugly head a lot today. So if you like fairy tales, read Lies, Knives, and Girls in Red Dresses! (Billy Collins recommends it, according to the jacket flap!)

The Selection has all the ingredients for a hit! Author Kiera Cass has mixed in reality television drama, a dystopian future world, a dash of fairy tales along with a few spoonfuls of Hunger Games competitiveness. Simply put, this fun read is Cinderella meets The Bachelor. The Selection takes place hundreds of years in the future after wars lead to a new society filled with dividing castes. In “the selection” 35 girls are chosen to temporarily move to the palace and publicly compete for the crown & the young Prince Maxon’s heart. It’s an honor which results in the girls being bumped up in caste system and payment for their families. Unlike the other girls chosen, America Singer, though coming from a lower caste in society, is not happy to be selected as it means turning her back on her secret love, Aspen.

America enters the castle reluctantly and sees that the royal world may not be exactly as it seems. After an awkward first encounter, America & Prince Maxon build a friendship, and she learns that the camera lens only tells part of the story. Now constantly being filmed in the castle for the entire region to watch, America must decide how far she wants to go in the selection and where her heart truly lies. Under constant threat of rebel attack, along with the viciousness of the some of the other girls, America flips sides more times than you can count, but you can’t help but rooting for her to figure out where her life will lead. Producers seem to agree, as The Selection was picked up for a CW pilot. Perhaps we’ll get to see the action continue to unfold on camera as well!

The Selection has all the ingredients for a hit! Author Kiera Cass has mixed in reality television drama, a dystopian future world, a dash of fairy tales along with a few spoonfuls of Hunger Games competitiveness. Simply put, this fun read is Cinderella meets The Bachelor. The Selection takes place hundreds of years in the future after wars lead to a new society filled with dividing castes. In “the selection” 35 girls are chosen to temporarily move to the palace and publicly compete for the crown & the young Prince Maxon’s heart. It’s an honor which results in the girls being bumped up in caste system and payment for their families. Unlike the other girls chosen, America Singer, though coming from a lower caste in society, is not happy to be selected as it means turning her back on her secret love, Aspen.

America enters the castle reluctantly and sees that the royal world may not be exactly as it seems. After an awkward first encounter, America & Prince Maxon build a friendship, and she learns that the camera lens only tells part of the story. Now constantly being filmed in the castle for the entire region to watch, America must decide how far she wants to go in the selection and where her heart truly lies. Under constant threat of rebel attack, along with the viciousness of the some of the other girls, America flips sides more times than you can count, but you can’t help but rooting for her to figure out where her life will lead. Producers seem to agree, as The Selection was picked up for a CW pilot. Perhaps we’ll get to see the action continue to unfold on camera as well!

I decided to turn off the TV and shut down my computer for a bit this week and pick up one of those things that have the pages bound together; I believe they’re called books. There was no better book to pick up than It’s A Book, by Lane Smith.

This is a story about a mouse, a donkey, and a book-loving monkey. It begins with the donkey asking what the monkey is holding. Then the donkey proceeds to ask question after question, “Can it text? Tweet? Wi-fi?”, and the monkey’s answer is, “No, it’s a book”.

In this playful, witty, and sarcastic contrast between books and technology, Smith pokes fun at how people can become so tech driven, they miss out on the simplicity of just picking up a book and reading.

I decided to turn off the TV and shut down my computer for a bit this week and pick up one of those things that have the pages bound together; I believe they’re called books. There was no better book to pick up than It’s A Book, by Lane Smith.

This is a story about a mouse, a donkey, and a book-loving monkey. It begins with the donkey asking what the monkey is holding. Then the donkey proceeds to ask question after question, “Can it text? Tweet? Wi-fi?”, and the monkey’s answer is, “No, it’s a book”.

In this playful, witty, and sarcastic contrast between books and technology, Smith pokes fun at how people can become so tech driven, they miss out on the simplicity of just picking up a book and reading.

For oldies but goodies, I like to peruse the backlist of National Book Award winners. In the sci-fi novel, The House of the Scorpion by Nancy Farmer, medicine has progressed to the point that full human cloning is possible. Matteo “Matt” Alacrán lives in Opium—a country between the United States and Aztlán (formerly Mexico) named for its principle crop. Matt is the clone of “El Patrón,” a powerful drug lord who rules the land. While most of society treats clones as subhuman, El Patrón educates and dotes upon his young copy, winning the boy’s affection and respect. But when Matt discovers a horrifying truth about El Patrón’s plans for him, he flees Opium . . . only to run straight into the clutches of a cruel labor camp for orphaned boys in Aztlán.

The House of the Scorpion is so much more than your average sci-fi thrill ride; it’s exciting, to be sure, but what really captivated me was the unique protagonist—a tender, tragic boy in whom I grew deeply invested as I watched him age and gain complexity throughout the novel. The cloning plot brings up ethical questions, and Matt’s experience of being born into second-class citizenship raises ever-relevant questions about prejudice. This book wouldn’t leave me alone for days after I finished it. A must-read, even if—perhaps especially if—you don’t think you’re a sci-fi fan!

For oldies but goodies, I like to peruse the backlist of National Book Award winners. In the sci-fi novel, The House of the Scorpion by Nancy Farmer, medicine has progressed to the point that full human cloning is possible. Matteo “Matt” Alacrán lives in Opium—a country between the United States and Aztlán (formerly Mexico) named for its principle crop. Matt is the clone of “El Patrón,” a powerful drug lord who rules the land. While most of society treats clones as subhuman, El Patrón educates and dotes upon his young copy, winning the boy’s affection and respect. But when Matt discovers a horrifying truth about El Patrón’s plans for him, he flees Opium . . . only to run straight into the clutches of a cruel labor camp for orphaned boys in Aztlán.

The House of the Scorpion is so much more than your average sci-fi thrill ride; it’s exciting, to be sure, but what really captivated me was the unique protagonist—a tender, tragic boy in whom I grew deeply invested as I watched him age and gain complexity throughout the novel. The cloning plot brings up ethical questions, and Matt’s experience of being born into second-class citizenship raises ever-relevant questions about prejudice. This book wouldn’t leave me alone for days after I finished it. A must-read, even if—perhaps especially if—you don’t think you’re a sci-fi fan!