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Why We Broke Up written by Daniel Handler with art by Maira Kalman

Daniel Handler and Maira Kalman spoke about their new book, Why We Broke Up, at The Seattle Public Library's Central Library earlier this month. They were pretty hilarious together, so I immediately placed a hold on the book and began reading it on Valentine's Day, which I relished.

Min (short for Minerva- it's a long story), and Ed have broken up. In a final dramatic effort to finalize things, Min dumps a box of artifacts from their relationship, accompanied by a very long letter explaining how the origins of each item in the box contributed to why they broke up.

Each keepsake item has been depicted by Maira to convey the exact amount of whimsey and sentiment that one would expect of the debris of a failed relationship. Beer caps from the Bitter Sixteen party where Min and Ed met. Ticket stubs from their first date. A sugar shaker they stole from a diner. All of the items add up to what they had, and why it had to end.

Daniel Handler is the witty genius behind Lemony Snicket's Series of Unfortunate Events. That's right, Lemony Snicket is Daniel Handler. Or maybe Daniel Handler is Lemony Snicket. It's hard to say. Either way, Why We Broke Up is just as funny as Snicket fans might expect. It's what to read next for Snicket fans in high school & up.

It's mid-February and Punxsutawney Phil thinks we've got six more weeks of winter ahead of us. I plan on passing those six weeks of sweater weather with some good books so there could not be a better time for a brand new batch of Alex Award winners to be announced! You may remember from last year that the Alex Awards are given each year to ten books written for adults that have special appeal to teens. Learn more about the award and this year's winners at the American Library Association's website.

My first read from this list is going to be The New Kids: Big Dreams and Brave Journeys at a High School for Immigrant Teens by Brooke Hauser.

What will you read?

Pretty Monsters by Kelly Link

With the promise of "unhelpful wizards, possibly carnivorous sofas, a handbag with a village inside it, Tennessee fainting goats" and more, Pretty Monsters is no ordinary story collection. Accompanied by the hauntingly surreal drawings of Shaun Tan, each story will swiftly and expertly deliver you from reality.

In "The Wrong Grave," Miles Sperry digs up his dead girlfriend's grave to get back the poetry he had buried with her, only to find the wrong dead girl inside. The wrong dead girl makes him agree to write a poem about her and won't let him escape her presence until he does.

"The Faery Handbag" is about the bag that Grandmother Zofia's entire village moved into to escape from raiders. "If you opened it one way, then it was just big enough to hold a chicken and an egg and a clay cooking pot, or else a pair of reading glasses and a library book and a pillbox. If you opened the clasp another way, then you found yourself in a little boat floating at the mouth of a river."

Pretty Monsters is a great introduction to the linguistic sorcery of Kelly Link. If you want a lush dose of magical realism, look no further.

Suggested for readers in high school & up.

The Time Traveller's Guide To Medieval England by Ian Mortimer

I went to Medieval England during last week's snow days! Turned out to be a great way to wait out the storm.

Many people have their own ideas about what life was like in Medieval Times, as evidenced perhaps, at your local Medieval Fair(e): dark, dirty, and definitely smelly. While these facts of life were much more difficult to conceal without the availability of electricity or city water and sanitation, Ian Mortimer explains why a look at Medieval life should consider more than a lack of our own modern day conveniences and standards of living. He makes a time "traveller" of his reader, taking them on a journey through fourteenth century England without the bias of say, our own relative standards of hygiene. For example, fourteenth century kitchens may not be wiped down with modern detergents, but we're reminded that women took pride in keeping their homes as clean as we believe our own to be.

You'll visit a city, noting how it's organized into residential or commerce districts, and who lives in each kind of home. You'll learn how you would make a living, what you would eat, where you would stay during your travels, and what you would do with your free time. Mortimer leaves no detail unexplored and, for better or worse, by the time you've finished, you will be familiar with the sights, smells, tastes, and feel of Medieval life.

This is a super readable and complete survey of daily life in fourteenth century England; it even made me laugh more than a few times. My only criticism is that there aren't enough illustrations. Several inserts of color plates are included but I wanted more images of architecture, clothing and household objects. Give this book a try if you want to take a trip into the past. 

P.S. I am now super revved up to tackle The Canterbury Tales because I think maybe now I'll have a better understanding of what's going on! Stay tuned....

Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns) by Mindy Kaling

If you've ever watched The (American) Office, you might have noticed that it's pretty funny. What you might not have noticed though (unless you actually read the credits), is that Mindy Kaling, the actress portraying ditzy Kelly Kapour, is also a writer, director and producer for the show. As you might guess, her new book is also pretty funny.

Mindy shares stories about how she paid the bills before becoming super famous and what it's like working on The Office, among other important topics, like karaoke etiquette and the difference between men and boys.The section titled "My Appearance: The Fun and the Really Not Fun" is hilarious (she recalls being a kid dressed in the style of Bert from Ernie and Bert by her parents), horrifying (stylists hiding her body beneath all kinds of ill-fitting garments) and triumphant (Mindy stands up for her style sense- and wins!).

Just as The Office is an adult show, this is an adult book so I suggest it for adults and teens in high school who are reading adult books.

Has anyone ever started a rumor about you? Have you felt left out of a group? Have you seen this happen to someone else? Or, have you done this to someone else? If you answered "yes" to any of these questions, then you must see Finding Kind.

Molly Thompson and Lauren Parsekian traveled cross-country listening to teenage girls talk about their experience with emotional bullying. The result is a compilation of their personal stories in Finding Kind, a documentary that has raised awareness of the devastating effects of bullying, rumors, exclusion and meanness.

Catch one of the local showings this winter:

• Skyline High School - January 31st at 6:30 pm

• Issaquah High School - February 1st at 6:30 pm

Each screening will be followed by a discussion with the filmmakers. The screenings are sponsored and made possible by donations from the PTSA's of BLMS, PCMS, Maywood, PLMS, IMS, Skyline  High School, Liberty High School Issaquah High School, the PTSA Council and the Issaquah Schools Foundation.

Learn more about the film and watch a trailer on the film's official site.

(Image from http://findingkind.indieflix.com/media/images/girlsLETTER.pdf.)

Annoying: The Science Of What Bugs Us by Joe Palca & Flora Lichtman

Why are the cell phone conversations you overhear so much more annoying than the ones you are a part of? Which sound is most unpleasant- rubbing two pieces of Styrofoam together, jingling keys, or compressed air- and why? Is it possible to objectively measure how annoying someone is? Is it possible to know how annoying you are to other people? What happens to your brain when you're annoyed? All of these questions and more are explored in this smart, quick read.

Read it if you want to become slightly less annoyed, become slightly less annoying, or become even more annoying. I think this book is for everyone! Fans of Malcolm Gladwell will appreciate the way the findings of scientific studies are presented in plain language.

P.S. I just finished listening to the super-engaging audiobook version, read by the authors.

In observance of Veterans Day, all King County Library System branches will be closed on Friday, November 11. Stop by the Issaquah Library (which will be open until 9 pm on Thursday, November 10) so you can stock up on books, magazines, dvds, and music to get you through the long weekend.

Remember- even when the library is closed, you can still download e-books and audiobooks from the library for free. We have over 15,000 titles for you to choose from. You'll need a valid King County Library Card. Visit kcls.org/downloads to check it out. It's a 24/7 library!

The Vanishing Of Katharina Linden by Helen Grant

Ever since her grandmother died in a freak
accident, Pia has been an outcast in her small
German hometown of Bad Münstereifel. The only person who still wants to be her friend is Stink Stefan, the next most unpopular kid at school.

Life changes for Pia on the eve of Rosenmontag (part of German Karneval) when Katharina Linden, in her Snow White costume, vanishes. Pia and Stefan are inspired by local supernatural legends of Unshockable Hans to investigate the disappearance but then another girl disappears and Pia finds herself in a new and unsettling place- one far away from fairy tales and terrifyingly close to adulthood.

Though it's a murder mystery with scenes that are definitely disturbing I didn't feel that the descriptions were gratuitous at any time. With the inclusion of local lore, this 2011 Alex Award winner is an atmospheric read for teens or adults looking for a grim fairy tale.

Beauty Queens by Libba Bray

On its way to the tropical destination of the Miss Teen Dream Pageant, the plane carrying all fifty contestants crashes- leaving just a few survivors to fend for themselves on a hostile island.

Beauty Queens is full of laugh out loud witticisms that go deeper than just plain humor; this unique book effectively explores gender, identity, race, sexuality, and Western standards of beauty through satire. A quirky and worthwhile read for the teen or adult feminist reader. I suggest this title for ages 15 & up due to mild violence, sparingly used profanity, and sexuality (though it's not gratuitous or very descriptive). I could not put Beauty Queens down- or stop laughing as I read it.

Check out this interview in which Libba Bray interviews herself to get an idea of how awesome she is.