Throwback Thursday: Ten Miles Past Normal, by Frances O'Roark Dowell

Sometimes it's fun to re-read books you read when they were new and see how they stack up. Sometimes these books are still great. Sometimes.... Well, sometimes they lose something in the re-read, whether they're no longer timely or they're just not as good as you thought they were.

Fortunately, Ten Miles Past Normal, by Frances O'Roark Dowell (originally published 2011) is pretty much just as great as the first time I read it.

Ten Miles Past Normal stars high school freshman Janie Gorman, a former suburban kid whose parents moved to the country to try their hand at goat farming (it's a long story). Janie wants nothing more than to blend in with the rest of her classmates. Not be Miss Popularity. Just... blend in. Something that's hard to do when you sometimes come to school with goat poop on your shoe or hay in your hair (OK, so these things don't happen every day, but their single occurrences live in infamy in the hallowed high school halls).  To complicate things, Janie's friend group got split up and she and her BFF Sara have been growing apart. 

Ten Miles Past Normal begins with Janie acting very uptight and restrictive about all things that could cause her to stand out any more than she already does: Refusing to try new things, not wanting to associate with people who could be considered "weird" or "different"... that sort of thing. She's absolutely humiliated by her family. In particular, her mother, who has a popular blog about life down on the farm. Actually, Janie is a bit of a brat when we, the reader, first meet her.  And I really didn't like her much. 

Gradually, though, Janie begins to loosen up. She makes friends with Verbena and Monster, two students who are just the sort of people she would have avoided at first. She joins the school's Jam Band as the sole female bass player. She even starts to be OK with farm life. And when the story finishes, Janie has become a really awesome character.

No more spoilers, though. 

I first read Ten Miles Past Normal when it was first published. It was a book I checked out solely based on the awesome cover and ended up loving. And I was so happy to discover the book was just as great the second go-around...almost 10 years later. The plot development and the character growth are handled so well. It's a great coming-of-age story. There were a couple bits that gave me pause (the "Just Say No" moment felt really random and forced and After School Special, and it didn't at all fit with the story), but otherwise it was pretty much the perfect book.

--AJB

Sorry I Ruined Your Childhood, by Ben Zaehringer

There's no denying it's a serious world out there right now. Between global pandemic panics, pre-election political warfare, and enough celebrity drama to keep the tabloids in business until the dawn of the next millennium, it's hard to avoid being brought down by it all. 

That's where humor comes in.

Sorry I Ruined Your Childhood, the new comic collection by Ben Zaehringer, is filled with enough laughs to brighten even the darkest, most worrisome day. Or at least provide a decent break from it all.  Sorry I Ruined Your Childhood is filled with short comics that poke fun at everything from Santa Claus to pop culture to alien abductions (Spoiler: Space Roomba). Nothing is immune. The drawings aren't particularly complex. In fact, the characters are pretty much stick figures, but that makes the humor all the better (think South Park). 

Overall... Awesome! 

--AJB

She Ra and the Princesses of Power: Legend of the Fire Princess, by GiGi D.G.

Not gonna lie: I am so loving all these graphic novel reboots of cartoons I watched as a child back in the 1980s (yep, guys, I'm that old). While I don't remember She-Ra as well as I do Jem and the Holograms, I still had fun revisiting the story and its colorful (literally) cast of characters.

Legend of the Fire Princess, by GiGi D.G. is the first graphic novel in the series. The story opens with a conference among the Princesses. Their leader warns the ladies (and Bo, don't forget Bo...the one and only guy in the whole story) of a growing power in the nearby wastelands. Legend tells that those very wastelands were once a rich and beautiful kingdom. But the ruler got hold of the powerful Fire Runestone. Mistakenly thinking she could control it and use its powers for good, the ruler attempted to wield it. She thought wrong...and destroyed her entire kingdom in the process. The Fire Rune was thought lost to time. But recently there have been stirrings where the stone was last seen. So Adora (a.k.a. She-Ra) and friends are sent to destroy it. But not all of the company think the stone should be destroyed. In fact, some think they are powerful enough to use the stone against the enemy Horde.

So it seems we have a very Lord of the Rings theme going on here, don't we Precious?

The ladies (and Bo) find the Stone...but so do Horde minions, Scorpia, Catra and Entrapta. An epic battle ensues. Complete with battle bots. And magic swords. And elemental powers. Pretty much, it could be anyone's win... But then Entrapta somehow activates the unstable and terrible power of the Stone, forcing everyone to evacuate empty-handed. The enemies flee back to the Horde H.Q., where they're sure to catch it from The Boss. Meanwhile, the Princesses (and Bo) use the power of Friendship to neutralize the stone and pretty much render it useless (I think). 

So no giant Eagles swooped in to save the day. But there were friendship hugs. So. Many. Friendship. Hugs. 

And a shocking little plot twist nugget that hinted at Adora's possibly dark past. Which I hope is expanded upon in future issues. I also hope the authors indulge my Scorpia-Catra ship (because there totally is Ship Potential there).

Overall, Legend of the Fire Princess was a quick and fun read. I 100% enjoyed it and am looking forward to the next one!

--AJB

The Plain Janes, by Cecil Cadtelucci

I needed something good to read that would be a quick read, so I grabbed Cecil Castelucci's graphic novel The Plain Janes, which just hit the "New" shelf. This book is actually three stories in one, detailing the (mis)adventures of four highschoolers, all named Jane, and their pursuit to bring art appreciation to their small town -- Despite the art-hating police chief, who attempts to thwart them at every turn.

I thought The Plain Janes would be cute, lighthearted story about four art nerds. Something I, also an art nerd, could totally get into. I mean, look at the cover: It's so happy and adorable! But the story was actually much more serious than that. It touched on heavy topics like censorship, paranoia, fear, and the dark side of family and friend dynamics. I didn't expect so many politics. You have to be careful when you're an author writing about politics. It's very easy to get caught up in a rant and have your story suffer. I've seen it happen.  More so in recent years than ever before. It's not a pretty thing. But with Plain Janes I never once felt like I was being force-fed any kind of agenda, so I was able to sit back and enjoy the story (and root for the Janes, of course).

Overall, I loved the story of how these four underdogs banded together to change their entire town by introducing art and flowers and beauty. It is an inspiring story of friendship and how several small changes can lead to one BIG change. I loved it!

--AJB

Honeymoon by Beach Bunny

When I first heard "Prom Queen" by Beach Bunny on Alt Nation, I had a kind of gut reaction to it.  For a moment I thought that I was on the 90's grunge and alternative station and that they were playing some old Riot Grrl song that I didn't know.  Then I saw that it was new.  I added it to my playlist and it has been in heavy rotation.  It's one of those songs that, for me, feels like it's just always been there.

"Prom Queen" isn't on this album but as soon as we got it in I had to check it out anyway.  I LOVE it.  I think you should listen to it but you're going to have to wait until I return it which could be a while...

Beach Bunny is an alternative/surf band from Chicago.  If I could liken their sound to other bands I would call it a cross between Silversun Pickups, L7, and the Raincoats. It had a great 90's vibe and is super catchy.For me the standout track was the last one, "Cloud 9."

Throwback... Friday? (Book/Movie Pairing: Paper Towns by John Green)

The one thing about pretty much very John Green book ever written is you can rely on certain things...pretty much in the same way you can rely on the Earth to take (approximately) 356.25 days orbit around the Sun: 

1. A Teenage Main Character who is a bit too whiny for their own good. Said character is often highly intelligent and more well-read than the average college graduate, but always lacks common sense (see 3)

2. An Unattainable Love Interest who is SO darn bizarre they don't even seem real, but, rather, like a mixed bag of the most weird and random personality quirks the author could dream up. They're more Caricature than character.

3. Drama, drama and...wait for it... MORE drama. And did I mention there's drama? Because there is. Lots of it. Said drama is always caused by the Love Interest and always, always derails the life of the Main Character. Because Main Character just can't leave things be (see 1).

4. The Classic Chick Lit Best Friend (or friends). Because every Hero/Heroine needs a Wingman (or Wingwoman) to feed into and encourage their obsession over the Unattainable Love Interest. And to provide (over-the-top) comic relief.

It doesn't matter if the above characters are male or female. This is the formula. It obviously works, because the books sell. And there was a time when we couldn't even keep them on the shelf (That time has pretty much passed. Magical Warrior Princesses seem to be what's in right now). 

I recently re-read Green's Paper Towns (2008) and followed it up with the movie adaption. The story is typical faire: Good Kid Quinten, or "Q" to his friends, has been 100% obsessed with his neighbor, Margo, since the day she and her family moved next door. Margo is a free-spirited quirk fest whose reputation as a wild child precedes her (and she's actually done most of what the rumors say she's done). After years of ignoring Q, she suddenly shows up at his window and precedes to drag him on an all-night revenge mission of vandalism and destruction, cumulating with breaking into Sea World. And all this without getting caught or arrested. Because, you know, she's Margo. The next day, Margo has vanished. But she's left an elaborate series of near-impossible-to-crack clues as to her whereabouts. Clues that Q drops everything to solve, thus putting in jeopardy his perfect attendance record, the trust of his parents, and the relationship with his best friends... because said friends inevitably get dragged along for the ride. They eventually find Margo, but (spoiler) the story doesn't end like Q hopes. 

The movie adaption pretty much followed the book. Except for the ending which, in my opinion, should have stuck closer to the original story. But the casting was decent (although I pictured Margo differently). And I was entertained enough to keep watching. 

Overall, though. I didn't like Margo...in either the book or the movie. For all her crazy quirks, she didn't have much of a personality. And I didn't understand what Q (or anyone else, for that matter) saw in her. Maybe if she'd had some redeeming features, I could get behind such a character. Rather, she came across as a selfish brat who was just out to screw up everyones' lives in order to alleviate her own boredom. 

Also, no one. And I mean NO ONE would have realistically been that bothered to find and decipher that cryptic and vague trail of clues. 

But otherwise, we wouldn't have had a story. 

I can see the appeal of Paper Towns to its intended audience. And it's a nice break from Warrior Princesses. 

The Strange Ones, by Jeremy Jusay

Imagine this:

It's a slow afternoon, not quite time for the after school crowd, and I figure I'd browse the "New" shelf. I come across Jeremy Jusay's graphic novel, The Strange Ones, tucked away between two much more brightly-colored books. I suddenly recall reading some buzz about this book weeks ago, but couldn't remember exactly the where or when or what. So I pick it up and am instantly absorbed in by the story.

Set in the mid-90s, around the time I was just finishing up Senior Year and getting ready to head off to college (into the unknown), The Strange Ones centers on a friendship formed between Anjeline and Franck, two loner teens each struggling to put their past demons behind them. As they explore New York City, they bond over cheap food and the alternative music scene. They become each other's first friend in a long time. They each become what the other needs...even though they have no idea of this when they first meet.

And then Franck dies.

And Anjeline is left to cope with the aftermath.

Honestly... I wasn't exactly expecting that twist. At all. I thought this was going to be one of sweet, dime-a-dozen stories about the healing power of friendship. Maybe with a romance blossoming toward the end. And it sort of was. Just not the way I expected. But after some thought, the story (as dark as it became at one point) was exactly as it should be. And I wouldn't have changed a thing about it.

Sometimes you NEED a story with all the feels (one besides warm fuzzy ones), and The Strange Ones definitely delivered.

I loved this story so much more than I expected to. And I'm happy I picked it up.

--AJB