Bill Bell, with text by Frederica Templeton
Smithmark
Fiction, YA Picture Book
****
Cat Hiss-Tory
Cat Hiss-tory: A Feline Tour Through the Ages
Bill Bell, with text by Frederica Templeton
Smithmark
Fiction, YA Picture Book
****
Cat Hiss-Tory
DESCRIPTION: Phineas T. Tiger offers a unique look at historic events and cultures from a feline perspective, told by Bell's illustrations and Templeton's words. From Cat Creation through modern times, from the Aztecs to the Chinese, Phineas tells all.
REVIEW: I admit to buying this one for the whimsical, imaginative illustrations that fall just sort of the Cute/Sap line. Well, that and the reduced price. That's also why Bell's name is listed first - this is primarily a showcase for his pictures, rather than a "history" book with his illustrations augmenting the text. The fact that this is listed as Fiction indicates the depth of the "history" outlined. What story there is seems to jump about; the pictures are more interesting. There are a few details that only older readers might appreciate, being familiar with the events described, but all ages should enjoy Bell's illustrated history book.
You might also enjoy
Heart of a Tiger (Marsha Diane Arnold, YA Picture Book - A kitten tracks a tiger in the jungle)
Catkin (Antonia Barber, YA Picture Book - A small cat must rescue a child from the fairy king and queen)
Comet's Nine Lives (Jan Brett, YA Picture Book - A cat searches for a home before he runs out of lives)
Star Cats: A Feline Zodiac (Lesley Ann Ivory, Picture Book - Illustrated zodiac featuring cats)
Snow Leopard (Jackie Morris, YA Picture Book - A magical snow leopard protects a village)
You're Finally Here! (Mélanie Watt, YA Picture Book - A storybook bunny longs for a reader)
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The Jaguar Princess
Clare Bell
Tor
Fiction, Fantasy
****
DESCRIPTION: Young Mixcatl is abducted from her remote tribe and sold into slavery in ancient America. Though she has little memory of her previous life, other than an aptitude for drawing the beautiful Aztec hieroglyphs, she is very aware that she is unlike her captors. Her senses seem different, and at times she feels herself shifting into something inhuman, almost bestial. These shifts grow stronger and more dramatic, and harder to control. Her secret heritage, rooted in the long-lost Olmec pantheon, is a threat to the local Aztec regime, where the Speaker-King has become obsessed with slaking the gory thirsts of the god Hummingbird-on-the-Left. Will Mixcatl's powers be enough to awaken the people to the bloody madness that their worship has become, or will she be sacrificed to feed the Aztec gods?
REVIEW: I liked this story, especially because it took place in ancient Mesoamerican cultures. It's nice to see something that's not dictated by the standard European/English quasi-medieval fantasy ideal. Of course, in school, I was always ticked off that the Americas were glossed over in history, as was pretty much anything not in Europe or the Mediterranean area (until 1492, that is.) Perhaps it's some sort of New World pride, or maybe it's residual rebellion from my school days, but I think the American civilizations are at least as fascinating as those cultures which were reviewed ad nauseum in history classes year after dull year. Bell establishes a believable pre-Columbian Aztec world. The plot moves at a fair pace, with intriguing characters and nice settings. Personally, I think it wants a sequel, but so far I haven't seen any sign of one.
You might also enjoy
City of the Beasts (Isabel Allende, YA Fiction - American teenager finds mystical adventure in Amazon Jungle)
The Encyclopedia of the Ancient Americas (Jim Green, Fiona Macdonald, Philip Steele, and Michael Stotter, YA History - A look at the native cultures of the American continents)
The Maya: Life, Myth and Art (Timothy Laughton, Nonfiction - Mayan culture)
Catfantastic anthologies (Andre Norton and Martin H. Greenberg, editors, Fiction - Fantasy/sci-fi stories about cats)
Jake Ransom and the Skull King's Shadow (James Rollins, YA Fiction - Two modern kids swept into alternate world by Mayan artifact)
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Candorville: Thank God for Culture Clash
(A Candorville collection)
Darrin Bell
Andrews McMeel
Fiction, Comics
*****
DESCRIPTION: Lemont, an aspiring freelance writer, Susan, a Latina striving for success in the corporate world, and Clyde, a would-be rapper living the gangsta life, deal with problems from racism to politics to simply getting by in a crazy world in Darrin Bell's nationally-syndicated comic strip Candorville.
REVIEW: In a time and country where thinking and asking questions seem taboo, it's nice to see someone willing to point out the hypocrisies of all sides of today's hot-button issues. Unfortunately, being willing to say what some consider unspeakable means that Candorville's often the first comic on the chopping block in today's ever- shrinking, ever-less-funny newspaper comic pages. Funny and insightful, but not for the close-minded.
You might also enjoy
Frequently Asked Questions: An Unshelved collection (Bill Barnes and Gene Ambaum, Comics - The staff of a public library deals with the often-clueless public and recommends many real-world books)
Welcome to Jesusland! (Formerly the United States of America) ("Landover Baptist Church", Fiction - Articles and stories skewering the hypocricies of right-wing ultraconservative Christianity)
Help is On the Way: A Basic Instructions collection (Scott Meyer, Comics - Instructional comics on many of life's puzzling moments)
Pearls Before Swine comic collections (Stephan Pastis, Comics - Twisted, astute humor starring innocent Pig and devious Rat)
Close Encounters of the Worst Kind: A Brewster Rockit collection (Tim Rickard, Comics - Sci-fi humor featuring the intrepid, sometimes inept crew of the space station R. U. Sirius)
Rip Haywire and the Curse of Tangaroa! (Dan Thompson, Graphic Novel - Based on the Rip Haywire comic strip, action-hero Rip and his mostly-trusty crew set out in search of a cursed treasure)
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The Art of War for Writers
James Scott Bell
Writer's Digest Books
Nonfiction, Writing
*****
DESCRIPTION: It looks easy enough. Grab that story idea flitting around in your head, pin it down on paper, ship it off to an editor, and presto! Kick back
to enjoy a carefree life as a famous author! Right?
As anyone who has tried writing knows, it's not as easy as that. Writing is more like a battle than a walk in the park, and any general worth their salt will tell
you that battles cannot be won without a plan. James Scott Bell, a published novelist, adapts the classic treatise on war by Sun Tzu for writers.
REVIEW: I bought this book because the title leaped out at me. I've had writing ambitions for longer than I can reliably remember, but seem to have trouble
getting from ambition to action. (I have a couple finished rough drafts, many more unfinished fragments, and that's about it.) This looked like a good kick-in-the-pants
book to... well, kick me in the pants. Bell doesn't play games, pull punches, or take flowery side trips down Anecdote Avenue. He offers direct, practical advice in
short, manageable chapters, covering everything from idea generation to agent queries. In between, he emphasises the brutally honest truth: a writer who doesn't
take their writing as seriously as their day job is guaranteed to never be more than a daydreamer at a keyboard.
For being exactly what it claimed to be, and for delivering new information in a memorable way, I give it top marks.
Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a nightly writing quota to meet.
You might also enjoy:
No Plot? No Problem! (Chris Baty, Writing - How to write a novel draft in 30 days or less, guaranteed)
The 38 Most Common Fiction Writing Mistakes (And How to Avoid Them) (Jack M. Bickham, Writing - How writing goes wrong, and what to do about)
Self-Editing for Fiction Writers (Renni Browne and Davie King, Writing - A practical guide to editing)
How to Write Science Fiction and Fantasy (Orson Scott Card, Writing - Advice on writing sci-fi and fantasy stories, from idea generation to publication and beyond)
Writing Tools (Roy Peter Clark, Writing - From idea generation to finishing touches, 50 tools to make writing easier)
Writing Science Fiction and Fantasy (Crawford Kilian, Writing - How to write sci-fi/fantasy stories that sell)
Writing Magic: Creating Stories That Fly (Gail Carson Levine, YA Writing - Great advice and inspiration for writers of all ages)
Writing the Breakout Novel (Donald Maass, Writing - How to make your next story your best story)
Write Good or Die (Scott Nicholson, editor, Writing - Articles from published authors about writing, publishing, and more)
Your First Novel (Ann Rittenberg and Laura Whitcomb - An author/agent team explains how novels are written, sold, and published)
The Art of War (Sun Tzu, Nonfiction - The original classic treatise on warfare and strategy)
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