Stuffed Animal Saturday [1]

As a new blog, we've been trying a lot of things out - some of which work and some of which don't. One thing we tried out was Stacking the Shelves. After just two Stacking the Shelves posts, we realized it wasn't quite working for us. There were some of us (Kiersten) who would get countless books in the two weeks between posts, and then there were some of us (Marlon) who wouldn't get a single book. Stacking the Shelves just didn't work for all our different book buying habits. When we decided to pick a new meme to replace Stacking the Shelves, there were some that intrigued us, but ultimately we weren't in love with any of them. Through some mild joking, we came up with this: Stuffed Animal Saturdays. The idea of Stuffed Animal Saturdays is that we show the book we're currently reading with one of our favorite stuffed animals and discuss our stuffed animal's opinion (well, it's really our opinion, but that's besides the point). Although this may seem kind of, er, odd, we hope you enjoy our quirky, new feature! - Kiersten

Hello, everyone! This is Jesse and he and I are currently enjoying Mermaid in Chelsea Creek by Michelle Tea. (Even though Jesse loves mermaids, he isn't too fond of swimming, so he thought reading about a creek would be better than being in one.)

So far: At this point in the book, Jesse really likes the story! He thinks the characters are really interesting and he especially loves the way the author writes. He's still in the beginning and he loves the mysteriousness of the book and the way the mystery carries into the town of Chelsea as well as into the characters, especially Sophie (although he thinks Sophie shouldn't let Ella be so mean.)

A Sneak Peek: Jesse thought one of the best parts of the book so far has been the prologue. He thinks Michelle Tea has a fantastic way with words and the prologue just oozes magic. He wants to share one of his favorite passages with you!

     All of the stories were different, but then all of them were exactly the same. And the stories brought from the many places were all different, but then, they were all the same. And the oldest story, the silliest and most dangerous story, the saddest and most hopeful story, was the story of the girl who would bring them magic, the girl who would come to save them all.
     "Save us from what?" snapped the adult children, impatient with these old women and the hocus-pocus they'd never been able to shake, even with their electricity and televisions, their blenders and flushing toilets and the million plastic gadgets they could never have imagined in their village. And the old women told them about how a girl would come and she would be a magic girl, she would twist the world we think we know and knot it into a bow, she would stop time and peer into your heart, she would take your troubles--and yours, and yours--and they would pass through her and into the earth. 

Jesse really liked how this passage set up the story to come, and how it made him want to keep reading to find out who this girl would be. He especially thought the first two sentences were absolutely brilliant and fabulously written. He thought this would be a good excerpt to share because it shows just how much mystery is wrapped up in this book and just how well it is written. He can't wait to read more!

If you think this book is as interesting as Jesse and I do, check back next Thursday for a full length review on it by yours truly.

- Noor

Are you and your stuffed animal reading anything interesting? 

Let us know in your own Stuffed Animal Saturday!