NetGalley ARC - On the Hunt for the Haunted: Searching for Proof of the Paranormal

I received a free digital ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

Rating: 3.5 Stars

I will be very up front, I do not like the cover. It relates to a story within the book, but even so, I found it creepy and not in a paranormal kind of way. It is weird, I do not like it.

Even so, do not let it distract you from some of the compelling stories contained within these pages. I had not heard of the author before reading this book, but I found her to be both credible and knowledgeable about the field of paranormal investigations, the equipment, and the purpose for seeking out these experiences. I always have respect for those who can go into an investigation with an open mind, and can come away admitting there was simply no evidence, if that is the case. I find some of the reality shows on television silly at best and damaging to the legitimacy of the field at worst (looking at you, Ghost Adventures. Why do you think every "demonic entity" you encounter has it out for YOU SPECIFICALLY?! Ugh). 

Here, however, Strom is professional the whole way through, going into detail about how she conducts investigations, what she does to guard against natural or man-made incidents being mistake for paranormal phenomena, and sharing her own experiences. There are no major overreactions, no immediate declarations that EVERYTHING IS A GHOST!, and there is thoughtful perusal of evidence collected.

I am a firm believe in ghosts, spirits, whatever you want to call them. I have been very lucky to have personal experiences in a variety of locations - The Stanley Hotel is Estes Park, Colorado; The Palmer House Hotel in Sauk Centre, MN; even my own apartment when I was in grad school. As such, with my experiences and investigations, I am pretty critical of books that seem frivolous or seem to sensationalize investigations. I did not get that impression from this author at all and I look forward to reading about more of her investigations in the future.

NetGalley ARC: You Are Your Strong

I received a free digital ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

Rating: 4 Stars

This book is absolutely beautiful - and not just the illustrations. The whole book, the theme, the words, the pictures, it is all exactly what you want a book about emotions to be for the children who need it. And by need, I don't just mean the ones who need it at that moment, but for all children, who will at some point or another have to deal with emotions that are bigger than they are. As much as we want to, we can't shield them from everything and big emotions are part of growing up. We need to prepare children to handle them in a positive, productive way and this book does wonders for that.

Both the words and illustrations are simple and calm, yet powerful - even magical. Even in its simplicity, the author does a wonderful job of showing children how to regulate their emotions, and how to deal with them, feel them, and not get stuck feeling one kind of way. The author moves through a wide range of emotions, giving children positive ways to overcome the negative thoughts and feelings. I feel like this was well-done, and did not imply that feeling those emotions were bad. I think too often kids feel like they can't or shouldn't be angry or sad. I teach in a self-contained behavior skills classroom; time and again myself and our paraprofessionals explains to our students that emotions are normal and healthy, but we don't want to get stuck on them, and we want to show those emotions and how we feel in a way that is still appropriate and won't hurt anyone, including the person feeling the emotion.

In the beginning we see adults showing the children in the book how to overcome these powerful and sometimes scary emotions. That scaffolding piece is so important, because we have to show children how to regulate these emotions on their own, so they do not become dependent on adults to talk them through it every time. The message that each child has their own Strong, that they can draw on that inner strength to overcome the big, negative feelings, in invaluable. This doesn't mean that we should always expect every child to 'figure it out for themselves', but we must give them the tools and strategies they need to handle overwhelming emotions.

I will definitely be purchasing this book when it comes out, to be able to read with my five year old daughter. I will also be using it in my classroom. Highly recommended!

Einstein's Monsters: The Life and Times of Black Holes

Rating: 4 Stars

I enjoyed this book, even though I was completely and 100% in over my head. I can not adequately explain anything here without having to go back and look at the book for reference.

You might wonder why, then, am I bothering to write a review? I am doing so because there are people who love this subject like I do, and will understand it better than I do. I don't mean that it is written so academically that you will only understand it if you are an expert. I mean that having a solid science foundation, which I do not have, will aid you in connecting, understanding, and explaining the concepts. I love learning about space and our universe, so I am glad I read it; just don't ask me to explain anything.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Rating: 5 Stars

If you know me but at all, you probably have surmised at some point that I kinda dig Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Not Buffy herself, because she got kind of self-righteous at times in later seasons, but the overall show itself. And yes, she is still a kick-ass heroine. And since I love the show and the world that Joss created SO MUCH, you can probably imagine my trepidation at the sight of this book. Not because it is a picture book, but that Buffy, Willow, and Xander are very obviously children. CHILDREN!

How can that be?! In canon, Buffy arrives in Sunnydale as a sophomore! She knew NO ONE! She was trying to ESCAPE HER DESTINY! (Let's set aside the movie, seeing as how Joss did that too when reworking his idea for television.)

That stuff is all true, and much like the movie, all of that will also have to be set aside too for the moment.

This book is absolutely perfect as an introduction to the world of Buffy. Given my own obsession as a teenager (and as a 30-something), I wanted a way to show my own little lady the non-scary parts of that world. Eleanor so badly wants to watch the show, though I keep telling her she has to wait until she is a little older. I don't now how much longer I will be able to hold off, but she is five, so I need to have some self-control. But...season one wouldn't be all that bad, right? RIGHT?? RIGHT!! The show is just so well-done, and she knows it is my favorite, thus increasing her interest.

Anyway. Back to the book.

In the book we meet Buffy as what can best be interpreted as a high school student, in my opinion anyway. As Buffy introduces herself, she is sitting in her room at her home, 1630 Revello Drive (The address isn't actually important to the book. I honestly just typed it without thinking. Because I still know details like that. After 20 years.) In this illustration with Buffy sitting on her bed, there are many items fans will recognize from throughout the series. Her outfit is reminiscent of what she wore to fight Faith at the end of season three. We see her weapons chest, Mr Pointy under her bed, a flyer for The Bronze. Ad on her nightstand we see Mr Gordo, and the cross Angel gave her, and the umbrella she received at Prom for being voted Class Protector. The only thing bugging me about this illustration is the lampshade. On the show Buffy had a small lamp on her nightstand and the shade was upside down. This lampshade is right-side up. It is bothering more than I care to admit.

Anyway, again.

Buffy says that she wasn't always tough, and that she used to be afraid of the dark. Instead of being transported back to L.A., Buffy becomes a young child in the same bedroom and it totally makes sense why. A) This is a picture book for kids and B) Buffy would literally be the only recognizable character if she was suddenly back in LA. The story would simply not work.

So, eight-year-old Buffy is afraid of the dark and hears weird noises coming from her closet. She invites her friends Willow and Xander to sleep over (very reminiscent of Killed By Death, what I feel is a vastly underrated episode from season 2). We even get a glimpse of Joyce peeking around the corner when Xan and Will arrive. So the friends have fun playing games, eating snacks and being kids. Until it is lights-out. We also see more nods to the series, as a Dorothy Hamill poster hangs on the wall in mini Buffy's room. And if you look closely at Buffy's mirror, you see what is meant to be the photo of Buffy, Xander, and Willow that was shown many times throughout the series - such as in season 3's Dead Man's Party, where Buffy has finally returned home and finds the picture on a shelf in the basement.

So, lights out, and the kids hear the same noises that Buffy heard the night before. They all get scared and Buffy wants to open the door, but Xan and Will are having none of it. The next day at school they talk to their librarian, Giles - who is holding the Vampyre book which he gave to Buffy the first time they meet in the series premier. Here Giles also tells Buffy she is a slayer and that would start training when she was older. he also tells her for now, Buffy just needs to act brave, open the door, and the monsters in her closet will be terrified.

Leaving their elementary school, the three decide to have another sleepover, and at this point I was wondering just what would be on the other side. Truly, I was hoping it would be a villain Buffy had faced at some point in the series. I was most pleasantly surprised to see not one, but several villains. I won't spoil which ones were there, it's a nice variety from throughout the series (I lied, spoiler alert - The Gentlemen are included and not scary at all),  but I do have to say I was glad Angelus was not among them. That would have been weird. In fact, none of the Big Bads (The Master, Angelus, Mayor Wilkins, Adam, Glory, Dark Willow, or The First) were shown and that definitely makes sense to me. Those villains are all connected to the very darkest, bleakest moments for Buffy and the Scoobies, and did not have a place in this particular story.

First, Buffy scares the monsters and they all start crying. Then she, Willow, and Xander invite the monsters to the slumber party where they watch movies, play cards (OF COURSE Clem was playing, but no kittens to be seen anywhere), and build pillow forts. There's even a child-sized werewolf playing a guitar who Willow is dancing with. (Never mind that Oz didn't actually become a werewolf until his little cousin Jordy bit his finger during season two when he was a senior in high school!)

Okay, slight digs aside, I truly did love this book and I love that Eleanor loved it too. She gets to see that it is okay to be afraid, and even when you are afraid you can still be mighty and brave. She also keeps asking to watch the show and seriously, I don't know how much longer I can keep saying no. She is five though...

Highly recommended!

Stacking the Shelves #38

Stacking the Shelves is a weekly feature co-hosted by Tynga's Reviews and Reading Reality. It is a chance to showcase all the goodies you've collected throughout the week, whether they're bought on-line or in-store, an ARC or a final copy, borrowed from a friend or the library, physical or digital, etc. Never has my addiction been more obvious than when I am now keeping track of every single book I acquire.

My stash this weeks comes from Tuesday evening when Eleanor, my BFF Anne Marie, and I attended a lecture at a local museum. To check out that story, you can read this post for more information about the newest exhibit on display and the curator, Dr Barbara Clark Smith, of the Smithsonian.

Library Treasures
        

Publisher Gift


Durham Purchases

For me:

 

 

For Eleanor:

 

What did you add to your stash this week?

Happy Reading!

Sarah

Tackling the TBR Week 9: March 1-March 7, 2019

Each week I will be keeping track of books that I have read from my TBR. I have a huge backlog of books and often end up reading new books that are not even on my list, instead of trying to whittle down the list that continues to balloon up on Goodreads. Chuckles had the idea first, and we are going to use this as a chance to encourage each other to get those books read instead of always grabbing new ones and thus never making a dent in the physical and digital stacks we already have. It will also give us a chance to take a good look at our lists and see if there are ones we are no longer interested in. We will be posting on the 7th, 14th, 21st, and the last day of the month.

Previous Week's TBR Total: 3,843

Books Added to TBR This Week: 13

Books Removed from TBR This Week: 23

Currently Reading: 12

Books Finished This Week: 5

Books DNF-ed This Week: 0

Duplicates Removed: 2

Rereads: 1

New TBR Total: I got 3,822 but Goodreads says 3,825. Go figure.

Is your TBR under control, or a hot mess like mine?

Happy Reading!

Sarah

Hooray For Democracy!

If you are a regular, you might recall various posts in which I extol the virtues of one of the best museums in the Midwest, if not the country. We are very lucky to have such an amazing permanent collection, housed in the historic Omaha Union Station. We are also very lucky in that the traveling exhibits that come our way are top-notch and provide such amazing experiences, information, artifacts, and materials for further reading. This place is so legit, Eleanor at age THREE wanted to have her birthday party there. She consistently chooses the Durham over any other place in town - even the Children's Museum (which is also pretty lit. We are are lucky to have such great places for kids to explore.)

(All three of these photos were taken from the press page at the Durham's website.)

 

The latest exhibit to arrive this past weekend is called 'American Democracy: A Great leap of Faith' and is curated by Dr. Barbara Clark Smith of the Smithsonian. We get the added bonus of being the debut museum for this new exhibit, which is pretty cool. Tonight Dr. Smith gave a lecture on this subject at the Durham, and signed a copy of her (one of many) book as well (link goes to Goodreads):

Eleanor, our BFF Anne Marie, and I had a good time (except for all the times in the hour and fifteen minute lecture that Eleanor decided she needed to go to the bathroom (3)). But in all seriousness, my five year old did a pretty good job of sitting and coloring or working on her 'school work'.

Waiting for the lecture to start!

I really enjoyed listening to her lecture and was not at all surprised by how cyclical the nature of politics is. Tyranny and oppression, corrupting, equality and unity were the four themes that Dr Smith touched on, all being the major concerns of what she called the 'Founding Generation'. Speaking of such a title, I really appreciate this perspective. She started out by showing two rather well-known paintings of what we have come to think of as how the Founding Fathers looked as they sat around discussing their Big Important Ideas. She went on then to add to this idea, displaying photos as well of the men and women who were not part of the group but certainly helped to make our country what it is today. That can also be taken literally, as I think most people can agree that the concerns that generation had are things we are dealing with as we speak, to varying degrees.

As you can see in the photo, Dr Smith has added several other images to really paint a broader picture of the Founding Generation, instead of exclusively limiting it to the typical Founding Fathers. I definitely like that approach.

Eleanor, Anne Marie, and I also got to speak with Dr Smith after the presentation and she signed copies of her book as well.

Anne Marie and I gave Eleanor a good question to ask Dr Smith, "Who is your favorite figure from the Founding Generation?" Dr Smith replied that while it changes, one favorite is Richard Allen, and another is Harry Washington. I really thought this was an important answer because the idea of 'black founding fathers' is so foreign to some. Yet there were so many who belong to that generation who deserve to be recognized as such. I am really looking forward to getting into her books and looking at the Revolution from a while new perspective.

Happy Reading!

Tackling the TBR Week 8: Feb 22-Feb 28, 2019

Each week I will be keeping track of books that I have read from my TBR. I have a huge backlog of books and often end up reading new books that are not even on my list, instead of trying to whittle down the list that continues to balloon up on Goodreads. Chuckles had the idea first, and we are going to use this as a chance to encourage each other to get those books read instead of always grabbing new ones and thus never making a dent in the physical and digital stacks we already have. It will also give us a chance to take a good look at our lists and see if there are ones we are no longer interested in. We will be posting on the 7th, 14th, 21st, and the last day of the month.

Y'ALL!!!!! I WAS SOOOOOOO GOOD THIS WEEK!!!!!

Previous Week's TBR Total: 3,849 (Last week my Goodreads total and my personal calculation varied. I decided to go with the Goodreads total because it is a slightly larger number, compared to the 3,838 number I got.)

Books Added to TBR This Week: 3

Books Removed from TBR This Week: 1

Currently Reading: 11

Books Finished This Week: 7

Books DNF-ed This Week: 1

Duplicates Removed: 0

Rereads: 0

New TBR Total: My own calculation says 3,839 but Goodreads says 3,843. Not sure where the disconnect is yet again, but if it is off by five or less, I am okay with that. Even so, I will use the Goodreads number to start next week's tally.

Is your TBR under control, or a hot mess like mine?

Happy Reading!

Sarah

State of the ARC #13

State of the ARC is a monthly feature hosted by Avalinah's Books. I am so glad I stumbled upon it, because it helped me so much in tackling my ARC list in 2018. Now things are under control, and this post doesn't cause me as much worry as it used to. Links go to Goodreads, unless I have finished the review, in which case it goes to that. All ARCs are from NetGalley or Edelweiss, unless otherwise noted.

Easily my worst month ever. I have been seriously slacking on reviews and have nearly one hundred to write. I got so caught up in the Tackling the TBR challenge that Chuckles started, that I let everything else fall to the side.

Pending = Zero

Not Started = Zero

Started = Two

Mercia: The Rise and Fall of a Kingdom, 9-17-18 (received two days after publication, author request/digital from publisher)

The Afterlife of King James IV, 4-26-19

DNF = None

Finished/Review to Come = Five

On the Hunt for the Haunted, 4-8-19

Ghost of the Grand Canyon, 4-8-19

The Invisible Emperor, 10-9-18 (hard copy from publisher)

Women of the Bible and Contemporary Women of Faith: A Feminist Perspective, 9-22-17 (received 15 months after publication)

You Are Your Strong, 3-19-19

Review or Feedback Sent = None

There you have it! What does you ARC situation look like for this month?

Happy Reading!

Sarah

Top Ten Tuesday #40

Welcome to another Top Ten Tuesday, hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl.

This week's topic is Places Mentioned in Books That I'd Like to Visit. This one is extra special because, lucky for me, these places are real and it is very likely that I will actually get to most of them some day. Another win for non-fiction 😘

Basically, I want to do this trip with my mom and daughter - In the Footsteps of Eleanor of Aquitaine. It was a ten-day trip taken by historical fiction author Sharon Kay Penman in 2011. It will be absolutely magical, to see the places that remain of the life Eleanor knew. There are so few, after all, that I must see them before I die.

The first three entries hold very special places in my heart because are all connected to Eleanor. If you are new around here, Eleanor of Aquitaine is pretty much my fave historical figure ever. I am currently writing a book about her, though that damn Latin gets in my way a lot.

(The links go to websites about the various places. None of the photos are mine, and are linked back to the website where I found them.)

However, I also like some variety (sometimes) for my TTTs. And seeing as how I read about some really bad-ass places, there are tons of trips I have already planned in my head dozens of times.

1. Fontevraud Abbey

Eleanor chose this site as her burial place, and was the abbey she retired to a handful of times before going into retirement for good. Her effigy rests beside that of her second husband, Henry II. Later their son Richard would be interred here as well. It absolutely broke my heart to learn that during the revolution, the bones of this family, and so many others, were taken out and scattered in the wind. It pains me to no end to think that the mortal remains of this great queen were tossed out like trash and never recovered.

2. Palace of Justice in Poitiers

By the time Eleanor was (likely) born in the palace at Poitiers in 1124, there had been a structure on the site since at least the 9th century. It was the seat of the counts of Poitou and dukes of Aquitaine, and Eleanor's home. Over time the palace was used less as a residence and more often for the dispensing of justice, the chancery, and courts. The Maurbergeonne Tower, which Eleanor's grandfather Duke William IX had constructed especially for his mistress, Eleanor's maternal grandmother, still stands as well.

3. The Louvre

Despite my affinity for Eleanor, I am not all that enamored with France otherwise, so this will be the last stop, but perhaps one of the most important on the whole list. Here at the Louvre is the only known possession to have survived that belonged to Eleanor, known as the Eleanor vase. Eleanor gave the vase once belonging to her grandfather to her first husband, Louis VII. In turn he gave it to his most trusted adviser, Abbot Suger, who then found a place for it at St Denis.

4. Salisbury Cathedral

You didn't think I was done with those Plantagenets yet, did you? A few years ago when Mom and I were in the UK, one of our day trips was to involve a stop at Salisbury Cathedral to see one of the four surviving copies of Magna Carta. The morning of the trip we arrived at the visitor's center to find out that Salisbury had to be closed for some repairs and we would be going to Windsor Castle instead. Sounds great, right? WRONG. It would have been great, except we didn't get to see anything I actually wanted to see, because everything was closed off, because Queen Elizabeth was KNIGHTING PEOPLE THAT DAY. Which brings us to spot number five...

5. Windsor Castle

I have to see where Henry VIII was interred. The Tudors were my first love, when I really got back into reading and finding my love of history again. I read any and everything I could get my hands on about the Tudors and absolutely loved every minute. But then that Dan Jones guy introduced me to the Plantagenets and my attention kind of wandered. Even so, and despite the fact that Henry was a horrible beast, I would like to go to St George's Chapel and see the final resting place of the king who still captivates us so many centuries later.

6. Scotland

Yes, I want to visit the whole country. Again. On said trip when I was irritated by the Queen with her knighting and whatnot, Mom and I had spent several days all over this beautiful country. I have never felt I belonged any place so strongly before as I feel Edinburgh is where I belong (and really, that's saying a lot, because I loooooooooove Minnesota). Mom and I had tons of adventures and saw some really amazing places. it would be wonderful to back for another round, and this time just wander the city, and the country to see what treasures we can discover on our own. We visited many of the must-see places, and there are also a few of those that I want to revisit. For example, Stirling Castle. We saw everything except the Royal Palace, which was undergoing major renovations at the time.

7. NYC

I want to spend a good two weeks here at least. I will only bring three books, because these are really the only books you would need on a trip like this, where I want to see EVERYTHING!

(The first two book links go to my reviews, third goes to Goodreads because I can't quite bring myself to write the review yet.)

  

I have been quite obsessed with New York City for many years and my only fear about going there is that somehow, it won't quite be what I imagined, it won't feel in real life the way it felt in all three of these books - gritty and real. I don't expect it to be like F·R·I·E·N·D·S (one of my fave shows), but I want it to feel like home as much as Edinburgh does. And you best believe, OF COURSE I am going to see the apartment building used for exterior shot of the show. But I also want to see as much as I can of what glimpses remain of New Amsterdam, to at least imagine what it was like in this place 400 years ago. I want to see Ground Zero, and Ellis Island, and the Statue of Liberty. I want to see the memorials to the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire, to the General Slocum. I want to see all the places the Beasties rap about in An Open Letter to NYC, and just BE there.

8. Belfast

The 15 year old in me will never let go. I have to see where they made her, where she became Titanic.

9. Auschwitz-Birkenau

One day, there will be no survivors left to tell their stories, and the stories of loved ones who did not make it. One day, there will be no soldiers left who liberated the camps, who saw firsthand the absolute savagery perpetrated by one of the most evil regimes in history. As an 8th grader visiting Washington, D.C. on a class trip, I barely made it through the Holocaust Museum, blubbering like a baby to the point where my friend Martha literally had to guide me through the rest of the tour because I was crying so hard I could barely see. Visiting the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam a few years ago was equally emotional. I have never been more humbled than in that moment, standing in those tiny rooms, completely in awe of the sacrifices so many made in order to save as many Jews as possible. I imagine this trip will be that, times a thousand. But it is one that I must make, that we all must make, so that this history is never lost.

What places would you like add to your list of 'some day visits'?

Happy Reading!

Sarah