Ink, Amanda Sun

Ink, Amanda Sun.
Cover artist: Petra Dufkova
Interior artist: Ross Siu
ISBN: 9780373210708
Read August 21

YA: Gaijin-in-Japan romance/fantasy series starter.

My blogging handle might be a giveaway, but I am fond of Japan.  I want to be fond of this book also, but I don't quite know if I am.

I will say that the cover artist is fantastic, and I am most assuredly fond of her work.  I'd love to see more in this style.

The story?  Ano... betsu ni?   It wanted to be awesome, and occasionally got there, but mostly it made me feel like I was watching GTO or Suzuka.   Not that there's anything wrong with that, but I was expecting more like Spirited Away or AKIRA.

I don't tend to like romancey-YA, so the fact that the romance in this one didn't entirely put me off is a credit to how well Sun flavored the story with authentic (or at least anime-authentic) Japanese youth culture.  I mean, while I can't stand YA romances, I do watch Suzuka when I'm in the right mood. 

I wish there was more substance to the fantastical elements, and to the mythology that's being plundered, but there's always a hope that more of that will appear down the line.  It was enough to explain and draw interest, but not nearly as much as I would have preferred to see.  I also would have liked the school-girl-crush segment to not have been nearly the entirety of the book.  However, as the story seems to be more of a romance with fantasy elements than a fantasy with a romance sub-plot, I don't really have much room to complain.  It is what it is, as much as that's backwards from what I had hoped for.

Between the light touch on the artistic elements and the fantastical bits, and the laser focus on the characters in school, in after-school club activities, and on simply being around in Shizuoka, I found myself often wishing that the author had just teamed up with Ms Dufkova and Mr Siu, and written a manga series.  I think it would do quite well in that format.

As it is, it isn't bad, but it's not entirely to my taste.  Like red beans, or natto - either you like them or you don't.  Ink isn't as bad as natto, but I don't know if it will grow on me or not.  

The Smartest Kids in the World, Amanda Ripley

The Smartest Kids in the World, Amanda Ripley.  ISBN: 9781451654424

Read August 20

 

Nonfiction: education comparisons through time and between four main countries: USA, Poland, Finland, and South Korea. 

 

I really enjoyed Ripley's first book: The Unthinkable.  In fact, I've probably bought more copies of that book as a gift for friends and family than I really want to think about.  This one - not so amazing, but still good.  I do like that she's got a fairly tight focus on the countries involved, and that she uses real experiences of study-abroad kids and her interviews with them to provide a human-interest angle.  That part certainly worked.  But I really feel like this is unfinished.  I don't know what I was expecting - some sort of manifesto or clear lessons to be taken from each different place (both positive and negative) but I was expecting something -  and there wasn't anything.  No real conclusion or stirring call to action.  It was an interesting and finely-crafted journey through the education policies and practices across the world, but it was sort of like an amusement park ride - all that rising and falling and interest and anticipation, and you end up exactly back where you started.  Sadly, the only real spark this has given me is to my resolve: to homeschool any of my hypothetical eventual children.

 

As always, I am in awe of the volume of footnotes and references in Ripley's works.  I wish every nonfiction book had half as many notes and resources cited to follow back to their sources.  

Beyond Time-Out: From Chaos to Calm, Beth A Grosshans, PhD

Beyond Time-Out: From Chaos to Calm, Beth A Grosshans, PhD

ISBN: 9781402777646

Re-read August 20

 

Interesting to contrast this one with the two I just read - Siegel & Bryson's The Whole-Brain Child, and Susan Stiffelman's Parenting Without Power Struggles.  I like this one better than both of those because it's more realistic - there's an understanding here that your precious little power-mad tyke isn't going to be real appreciative of your attempts to make them behave (which technically Stiffleman also does), AND you get real actual advice on what to do about it (which Stiffelman doesn't). 

 

Now, I don't know that I totally agree with the advice Grosshans gives, but it seems interesting, and worth looking into.  I haven't seen anyone else suggest restraint holds with a tantrumming child (unless said child also has delays or autism or another reason for applying said restraint) so I'm really curious about that part. 

 

However, I'm hopeful that if someone starts off with this method of calm escalation of consequenses, perhaps that will minimize instances of totally out of control behavior.

 

What's really interesting here is how this book conflicts with the info in Whole-Brain Child about how kids get emotionally flooded and whether to discipline them or empathize with them.  Are we going to use this as a teachable moment to build self-control and social skills, or are we going to use this as a teachable moment to help them become more attuned to their emotions and mental state?  I hate that it seems to be an either-or approach.  I do see hints of the empathetic approach with Beyond Time-Out, but it doesn't nearly rise to the level of "the Wall of Futility" approach that those authors suggest.  Frankly, I tend to like Grosshan's ideas better, but I don't like dealing with emotional stuff and tears and negativity, and I also believe children should be well-behaved and obedient, so I'll be looking into that aspect a bit further. 

A Flight of Angels, Rebecca Guay

A Flight of Angels, Rebecca Guay.  ISBN: 9781401221478.

Read August 21, 2013

 

Graphic Novel: frame story of faery-kind finding a fallen angel in the snow holds 5 varied stories about angels.

 

I didn't want to review this, because I was smart enough to look at the end of the frame-story first, and realize it wasn't a happy ending.  I hate when visual arts are sad.  They are too powerful for me to handle well, and they contribute to my depression.  I know it's a personal struggle, but there you have it. 

 

Still, the artwork is sooooo beautiful.  Guay may very well have intended this as a portfolio of her artistic abilities, and it's a really good one if that's the case.  Her work is striking, regardless of the style and "era" that she overlays on each individual story.  I especially like the sepia-toned work for the frame story, and the noir look for the majority of "Original Sin." 

 

The individual stories are so short and sometimes simplistic that it's hard to see them as anything more than excuses for the artwork, which I can understand - the art is glorious.  However I do think it would be stronger if it were a bit more length, with each of the stories given the time and space necessary to develop and shine, and for the frame-conceit to become a bit stronger.

Personally, I would also like it if I didn't have to see beautiful haunting artwork telling sad stories that I then find impossible to get out of my head, but again - that's on me, not the artists.   

Parenting Without Power Struggles, Susan Stiffelman

Parenting Without Power Struggles, Susan Stiffelman (M.FT).  ISBN: 9781451667660

Read August 15, 2013

Nonfiction: parenting.

 

This was an excellent read.  Very clear, and very specific instructions on WHAT to do (and also what not to do, although I like that she focuses on the positive - no "don't think about pink elephants" here, which was very nice) and WHY it is that it's good to do.  She's also amazingly clear that these interactions are challenging to do, hard to keep up, and really difficult to get right in real life, with real children.  I admire that approach.  I also like that her example texts don't have children who magically become compliant and happy as soon as the magic words are used, which is a fault in a lot of the parenting technique books I've encountered. 

 

I do have some quibbles - I could have used a lot more of the information in Chapters 1-8 and 10, and a little less in the others.   I especially feel like she shortchanged the reader on the contents of Chapter 10 dealing with depression and anxiety.  If/when I have kids, I know that the best way to help them is to have my own depression and anxiety under control so I feel geninely happy around my kid.  I also know that given the way my brain works, there's no way in hell that's actually going to happen.  So a little real-life advice on how to counteract that would have been lovely.  Same with the Act 1/Act 2 advice.  That was very hastily done, and not as clear as it could perhaps have been.  I'm also not as fond of mindmaps and assigning emotions to colors and whatnot, so all of the slightly "woo" bits did ruffle my feathers a bit, but there wasn't much of it - I'm just super-sensitive to that sort of thing.

 

Overall, well-organized, well-explained, and well-done.  I'm actually going to buy a copy for myself and my husband, and I have only done that with two other parenting/child-development books so far.  Good company!  (The others are Beth Grosshan's Beyond Time Out, and Paul Tough's How Children Succeed.) 

The Neptune Project, Polly Holyoke

The Neptune Project, Polly Holyoke.  ISBN: 9781423157564

Read August 14, 2013

YA: far-future undersea mutation utopia/dystopia

 

Nice debut, and a decent amount of plot despite an obvious set-up as the lead in a series.  I don't mind series titles, I just mind when the first book is unrelentingly and irritatingly set-up for the "real story" in later books.  If I want teasers, I'll watch movie trailers, thanks.

 

First off - the small niggling irritations: 

 

Terminology: "dollarns"?  "discns"?  "Birthing Days"?  It's very obviously post-American, along the West Coast.  LA is still LA, and everything else is named in modern terms.  I hate being forcibly ejected from a story because someone didn't do their linguistics and culture research and comes up with terms that just aren't plausible.  

 

Cliches: Then, there's the somewhat cliched "the child of the important scientists is the one who knows the least/knows nothing" set-up.  Ok fine, use it, but if so, demonstrate WHY you're using it!  Was Nere already under suspicion so you left her out because she was a weak link already?  Does Nere tend to blab about cool things or let important info slip in conversation without thinking?  Is she a worrier and it would make her psychologically upset to know for a long time?  Nope - just there because it was the plot idea.  I HATE that.

 

History:  Next, Nere is the name of the main character, and her mother is a secretive scientist studying dolphins and genetics, and the story revolves around Nere taking care of a group of younger/more vulnerable kids in the open ocean.  When I was younger, there was a fun show coming out of Australia called Ocean Girl, where the main character is Neri, and the mother figure is a scientist studying oceanography, and the storylines revolved around the kids on the habitat and their adventures with Neri.  Just thought that was a little funny - perhaps Ms Holyoke watched the same TV shows I did.

 

Love Triangles: I have to say I wasn't QUITE as unhappy with the love triangle (quadrangle?) in this one, because it was set up fairly well, and wasn't too intrusive.  I do wish it wasn't necessary, but at least if it's going to be there, I'm happier if it is less important to the plotline and action sequences.

 

Climax: A little unclear on the reasons for the climax, and that makes it ultimately seem a bit hollow.  If it were more clear-cut as to a sacrificial action or a failed escape attempt, I'd be a lot happier.  Not that it was bad the way it was, just wasn't as powerful as I think it could very easily have been with only minor alterations to the immediate action sequence. 

 

...and Reunions:  In addition, it was a bit of a cop-out to leave the whole reunion scene without any real emotional pay-off.  There should be some really complex emotions bubbling away there, and I don't quite like that we're leaving that relationship on an uncomplicated happy note.

Otherwise, I really liked this!

If the link above didn't provide enough of a clue, I love the ocean.  I love the idea of mutations allowing humans to live or work more easily undersea, and I like the concept of undersea habitats and colonies.  I have avoided all of the mermaidy books because they tend to be gushy romances, and YA romances make me want to stab my eyes out with a spork.  This was a welcome action-filled addition to the undersea adventure genre, up there with Kat Falls' Dark Life and Rip Tide. 

Nice opener, and I'm actually looking forward to this series continuing on.

Secondhand Charm, Julie Berry

Secondhand Charm, Julie Berry.  ISBN: 9781599905112

Read August 13

 

So I re-read Amaranth Enchantment recently, and was reminded of how thin it really was - everything so twee and interconnected and massive plotholes unraveling at the slightest serious thought.  This one is MUCH better.  Not exactly what I had expected, and I'm a bit disappointed in that, but it was interesting and fun.

 

First off - the bad. 

 

The medicine/study is a red-herring.  It's teased as a story of a studious girl heading off to a medical university to become a healer, and that actually is right, as far as it goes.  Sadly, it's mostly the first-act mcguffin to get Evie out of her village and onto the road so that events can occur.  I would really have liked to see more evidence of the healing - instead of it simply being a magical gift, to instead show more of what she did with the Chancellor: actual herb-lore and medicine.  Without it, she's well on the way to turning into a boring magic dream girl.

 

The king is USELESS.  Doesn't he have parents?  Courtiers?  He's always on his own except for Annalise, which is somewhat suspect, considering all the flunkies she has around her.  Considering he's the lynchpin of the whole story, I found him a bit on the irritating side.

 

Coincidences again... like Amaranth, this story relies heavily on a smallish cast of characters who keep showing up in convenient (or inconvenient) times and places.  Unlike Amaranth, it actually somewhat works in this story without seriously violating suspension of disbelief, but it still was a bit heavy-handed (especially the circus).  

 

The meh.

 

Aiden.  Eh.  More a cipher than anything else, and honestly comes off as well as he does because the King is so flamingly useless in comparison. 

 

The continual "bad luck" of the initial journey.  This is somewhat in the line of the coincidental repeated meetings of the main cast, but it was less of an irritant while reading, and more of an after-the-read thought of how really unlikely that whole scenario was, and how it could have been changed easily without altering the plot. 

 

The good:

 

The representation of Evie's "companion" was excellent.  I loved that he didn't really know or think about or care about much beyond Evie the person.  I loved the impetuous nature that causes her problems that he then regrets, I love the beauty/terror dichotomy.  I love the co-dependent feel for that relationship; "if you really loved me you would...." Really lovely touchpoint through the whole story.  

 

I really like Annalise.  She is a perfect little sociopath, and her storyline was very nice.  Would have liked a bit more background on how her relationships got going, and how everyone else doesn't know that princesses of her realm are what they are, but those are niggling details.  Annalise was quite nice of herself.  I loved the complication that her relationship with Evie created for the climax, and that her total blissful inability to see that she was a sociopath made her a little less "one-dimensional-grandiose-evil."

 

Loved Grandfather.  That was a very clever touch, and one that isn't seen very often.  I figured something was off-kilter there, but I wasn't expecting it to twist the way it actually twisted.  That was quite enjoyable.

 

So overall, Secondhand Charm: Not amazing, but much better than Amaranth, and a sweet little heroine who gets where she's going through dogged determination, grit, and persistance. 

The Eleventh Hour: A Curious Mystery, Graeme Base

The Eleventh Hour: A Curious Mystery, Graeme Base

ISBN : 0810908514

Read August 10, 2013

 

Oh what fun.  I've loved Animalia since I was a child, and The Water Hole is beautiful and somewhat haunting, but I have somehow missed this one.  I'm not one for long hard puzzles, and since this was a library book, of course the "solutions" pages in the back (really more a set of directions as to where to find and how to begin solving the codes involved) were already opened, but I was glad to see my suspicions were on the right track.  All I'll say is that "Mr Roboto" by Styx is a great song, and it's never led me wrong before, and that I'm a big fan of Hide and Seek and Find.  Also, the Swan's name?  I DID figure that bit out on my own: it's an easy puzzle, in the cards.  If you're not in the mood for a mystery, the story and pictures are intricate and easy to get lost in regardless, and if/when you do solve the mystery, you'll "unlock" a seek-and-find quest that opens up afterwards to keep the fun going for another good while. 

 

Similar to Kit Williams' Masquerade (still beautiful, even after the prize is long since gone) and "Book Without A Name" (ISBN: 978-0394538174) which I love partly because it features bees and I've always been fascinated by them, and partly because the solution/prize has more to do with the book itself: the book's name.  That way the prize can be "found" again and again by new readers, and it's personal to them - even though in both cases the actual reward/treasure already been rewarded many years ago by the author/illustrator.  

 

The Eleventh Hour is actually preferable to Kit William's work, because in my opinion, the "reward" comes in the enjoyment of the book and the intellectual high of solving the puzzle.  Science has borne me out in that, actually.  If you attach rewards to activities that were previously enjoyable on their own, they become less enjoyable afterwards, even if the reward stays, and especially if the reward goes away again.  Base knows this, and he wisely makes the adventure and the read and the puzzle its own reward, all intrinsic to the book.  

Reserved for the Cat vs Steadfast, Mercedes Lackey

Reserved for the Cat, Mercedes Lackey (published 2007)

Re-read August 9, 2013

ISBN - 978-0756403621

 

Steadfast ("reviewed" on my reading page June 10-15, 2013)

 

While reading, I felt that the plotline of Steadfast was very similar to Reserved for the Cat, but then I read that way back in 2007 when it came out, and my memory was a bit fuzzy.  I re-read Reserved yesterday, and they really are quite similar.

 

I have to wonder if that is on purpose, because the whole of Reserved for the Cat had a feel of "ballet girls are better than variety-show dancers" to it, and the whole point of Steadfast was to feature those same slightly lower class of dancers and personages as the protagonists and important figures in that same world. 

 

There were minor differences of course - Nina/Ninette the ballerina couldn't choreograph, while Katie is a brilliant dance designer.  The gathered "powerful menfolk" are Masters in the first and Magicians in the second.  The foe was an Earth Elemental in Nina's case, and Katie's abusive husband in the second. Although I do pause for a moment that in the comparison, it's sort of rough for Katie's poor hubby that an Earth Elemental comes off as so much more crafty and witty and clever than that poor sot. 

 

What's interesting is that reading them so close together, I can't really decide that one is better than the other, just that they are so very close to each other in style and tone and plot.  Really, the major difference I see is that Ninette gets to save herself in the end (although she hides that knowledge) and Katie gets saved in the end by a magical dragon who thinks she's sweet.  As a woman, I have to say I like the first option better.  However, the entire plotline (in both cases) is a woman alone and dependent on the whims (thankfully of the most noble and kindhearted sort) of the current batch of men who are angling to save her because it helps them out.  Not much in the way of agency when you're relegated to taking orders, after all.  

 

On a final note, re-reading Reserved for the Cat did make me question one thing: why didn't the Cat ever reveal himself to Ninette?     

Baba Yaga and the Wise Doll, Orem Hiawyn, illus Ruth Brown

Baba Yaga and the Wise Doll, Orem Hiawyn, illus Ruth Brown.

ISBN - 978-0525459477

(re-read) August 9, 2013

Ran across this one again while researching juv 398s for rusalkas, and wanted to draw some attention to it because of how marvelously witchy and gruesome Baba Yaga is.  I still like the story/illustrations combo better in Baba Yaga and Vasilisa the Brave, but the illustrations in this one are just creepy-perfect.

Gender-unclear (meant, I'm sure, to be female, but in clothes and with a haircut that make that somewhat ambiguous) Too Nice lives with equally unclear siblings: Horrid and Very Horrid.  Their faces make their names quite clear.  One day, the Horrids have had enough of Too Nice, so they kick Too Nice out of the house to fetch them a jeweled toad from Baba Yaga. 

Not to fear, Too Nice has a mother's poppet, a wise doll that aids in the work.  What I like about this rendition is two-fold:  First, unlike a lot of versions of this story, Too Nice actually begins the work and works hard all day before despairing of the magnitude of the task and calling in the doll for backup.  Secondly, the illustrations are brilliant in showing how the doll is helping.  Too Nice is passed out exhausted, with the doll still in arms, but look to the shadows to see what's really going on.  Brilliant idea, beautiful execution.

And Baba Yaga - Oh My God.  She is one scary witch.  She puts all those Disney witches to SHAME.  She's all grey except for her "glowing red eyes" which aren't actually red, but rheumy and yellowish and tiny and mean.  She's tall and overwhelming and PERFECT.  I love her.  She's my new favoritest witch ever.   

The final change I like to the basic story structure is that instead of bringing home a skull-lamp that burns the nasty family to cinders instantly (PTSD anyone?) Too Nice brings back one of the huge jeweled toads, just as they asked, and it snaps them up and they're gone, then the toad hops back over to Baba Yaga's chicken-legged house.  Now, I don't know WHY it seems to me that having a giant bejewelled toad eat your siblings seems much less traumatic to me than having them burned to death by a skull-lamp, but there it is. 

Actually, I lied - there's one more difference I appreciated.  The story wisely stops there with Too Nice becoming Little Just About Right - instead of dragging on into odd unrelated widows and weaving and marrying of kings, also, incidentally, keeping that subtle bit of gender neutrality that I really appreciate.

Perfect.   

Weather Witch, Shannon Delaney

Weather Witch, Shannon Delaney.  ISBN: 9781250018519

August 2, 2013

YA Alt-American Gaslamp Fantasy.

 

Ohh boy.  Fair warning - this one did not go so well with me.  I sulked for about an hour after reading it, and was petulant and unhappy to my poor husband all night.  Really unfortunate combination of potential in the premise with (in my opinion) an absolutely dismal execution.

 

I had written up a review that was exceedingly ranty, and felt bad about it, so I refrained from publishing it.

 

After about a week's consideration, I'm going to not post what I originally wrote up, and simply give a short explanation of why I don't consider this in any way a good read.

 

The main issue is the worldbuilding.  It was abysmal.   The setting was poorly defined, poorly set up, and did not make internal sense.  Even the character names didn't fit the place and time.  Nowhere did I get any feeling that this universe was real or able to be self-supporting.  It was horrible, and very frustrating.

In addition, the plot was the usual "oh, I got a contract from the publisher to do a series!" which translates to "this entire book is going to be an elaborate (but still badly done) set-up for the next book, and no actual feelings of accomplishment will occur."  Also very frustrating.

 

Lastly, the characters were obvious and paper thin.  Villains were totally transparent from the outset (to the degree that I wondered about the intelligence of the respective hero and heroine) and the main characters were little better.  Relationships were unrealistic and idealized, and several characters are brought into focus and then dropped entirely with absolutely no resolution to their plotlines.  Repeat it with me: very frustrating.

Now, what's sad, this review is practically charitable compared to what I ranted after having just read the thing.  

Amish Values for Your Family, Suzanne Woods Fisher

Amish Values for your Family, Suzanne Woods Fisher.  ISBN: 9780800719968

August 2, 2013

Nonfiction, morals and character development of children, Amish life.

Ms Fisher is obviously taken with the Amish and their way of life.  However, she doesn't quite manage to convey that captivation in this book.  Each section is intended to show a facet of Amish life and values, to demonstrate that in a sketch of Amish life, and then to convey how to get that same feel or end-point in a modern (presumed Christian) family structure, especially in regards to children.  The reality doesn't quite measure up.  The very short sections are arbitrary and oddly divided (birding?  throwing eggs?) and the morals or lessons from the sketches don't always seem to relate to the moral or lesson she elaborates upon.  

In addition, the morals and lessons that are taken are quite simplistic - don't spoil your kids, let them have graduated responsibility, stay connected as a family, let kids be kids, nature is awesome, discipline rarely and from the standpoint of producing character growth not rebellion.  Not really earthshaking or new information there.

Perhaps I'm too cynical an audience for this one, but I think it is illuminating that the Amish have a church retention rate in the high 80% (and an additional 10% join up with more liberal Amish or Mennonite groups) for their children, while Christian families are clocking in at a dismal 40% retention rate for their children.  So a book that promises to help families pick the "values" of the Amish without adopting the accompanying lifestyle, seems to be a bit disingenuous.  Most presumed Christian families are supposedly already teaching the same basic values and morals as their religious Amish cousins, but for some reason, it isn't working for modern families, while it is working quite well for the Amish.  This book seems to be promising all of the gain for none of the pain, and I really don't think that's going to work out.

Sadly, not a book I would recommend about the Amish, or about values or character training for families and children.  Just too facile and fragmented to offer any real grounded valuable advice.

Paradox, A.J. Paquette

Paradox, AJ Paquette.  ISBN:  9780375869624
August 1, 2013

YA.  Dystopian planetary exploration.  Ana has amnesia, and she's on a different planet than Earth - that much is completely obvious, what with the rocketship, the two suns, the pink and peach sky, and the notes in her strangely limited mission briefing.  WHY she is on another planet, and without her memories, that's the real question.   

I really liked this.  Of course it was pretty obvious where things were headed, and I would like to say that if this wasn't a direct homage to Invitation to the Game, it bloody well should be.  I think that the two of them would go very well together as a reading assignment, actually.

Normally I'm all about very deep and indepth treatments of background and history and the world of the story, but with this set-up, I was very happy to have things just trundle along as mysteries, knowing that the pay-off would come at the end.  I think that the setup very much contributed to Paquette's ability to craft a tight little short YA read, and I have to give props for that.  

The only quibble I have is with the mechanism of the ending - there is a lot of damage to deal with, and the optimistic tone there seems to be just a little bit unwarranted.  Perhaps I'm simply a cynic. 

The Different Dragon, Jennifer Bryan, illustrated by Danamarie Hosler

The Different Dragon

Jennifer Bryan, illus by Danamarie Hosler, ISBN: 9780967446868

August 1, 2013

 

I wanted to like this book so much more than I did.  A lesbian-led family, a sweet little boy, a dragon who doesn't want to be "fierce" anymore - but sadly it wasn't as good as I hoped.

 

It has all the hallmarks of a "vanity press" book.  Slightly naive illustrations that too perfectly echo the text, the over-descriptive and wordy writing of someone who isn't an actual children's picture-book author...

 

Which is sad, really, because the bones are excellent.  If it's ever considered for re-publication, I would like to see the "two mommies" played down a bit more so it really is just a part of the background like the pet cats or the little sister.  I would like to see more in the illustrations and have less in the text - leave some things to context or discovery when perusing the illustrations.  I would like the writing to smooth out in flow and lighten up in volume.  

 

I would also like for there to be more actual large-press picture books that deal with alternative family arrangements, so that children in these families can see beautiful quality artwork and craftmanlike stories that ring true to their own lives and situations.  In the meantime, this one isn't bad, just not as good as it could have been.