Thursday, September 30, 2010

Book Review - The Earthborn - Paul Collins



The Earthborn is a scifi YA story. Several hundred years ago, a space ship was dispatched to colonize a distant solar system. The planet was marginal at best and Earth's last transmission broadcast nuclear war. The ship, Colony, decided to return to Earth, purify it and recolonized it with Skyborn. Of course, as with any assumations, things go wrong. The human spirit to live and learn has survived.

The main character is a skyborn youth, causing me to question the title of the book. The story is well written until the end. It feels rushed and incomplete. Until the last few statements at the end of the book, I wondered if I was looking forward to a sequel.

While I didn't agree with some of the writer's assumptions, I could see his logic and enjoyed the story until the end. I walked away from this book disappointed.

Kim Izzy

Thursday, September 23, 2010

Book Review - Because of Anya by Margaret Peterson Haddix

YA author Margaret Peterson Haddix 's portrayal of a young woman defining herself by her appearance, specially her hair, was very poignant to me. It's a trait, we, women the world over, struggle with. We spend millions ever year to wash, condition, color, brush, pull up, pull back, highlight, straighten, curl, clip, cut, comb, tease, rat and . . .   Have I forgotten any? Okay, okay, maybe a few! (Ha! Ha!)

My grandmother lost her hair during her treatment for lung cancer. It was almost like she lost herself. Grandma was vigilante to keep her head covered at all times.

One evening a former boyfriend and I popped in for an unexpected visit. As we were saying our good byes for the night, Grandma reached up and realized that she wasn't wearing her wig or one of her caps. The look of horror spread across her face followed by anguish.

"Why did you tell me?" Grandma demanded.

"It isn't important to me. I love YOU with or without hair." I replied.

We had a good healthy cry. Even twenty plus years later, I can remember the love, laughter and acceptance shared in those moments. Around the family, Grandma was able to be more confident and comfortable. I like to think I was a small part of that.

While this book doesn't deal with cancer, it does deal with loss in a realistic and yet positive way. Because of Anya is a great read for women of any age. It speaks to me as the mother of a teenage daughter trying to negotiate these unknown waters. I'm recommending the book to my daughter.

Kim Izzy

P.S. My daughter loved it, too!

Tuesday, September 14, 2010

Launched

This blog is a dream of mine. I am a concerned with trying to keep three blogs in the air, but I am hopeful. Each blog has it's own focus.  Leann Holland's Chattering's focus is writing for adult, women and romance (See my profile for link.).

Izzy's Corner's focus is children and teens. I love my children. I love having conversations with other children and teens. I look forward to writing for them.

Kim Izzy