"The Midwest Survival Guide" by Charlie Berens

The Midwest Survival Guide: How We Talk, Love, Work, Drink, and Eat ... Everything with Ranch (Nov. 16, 2021) by Charlie Berens.

“Hello, there! Let me get the door for you,” says a Midwesterner (like me) from a football field away. I have done this, not from a football field away, but I have been that person holding the door for one person that multiples to a score of folks. Nothing weird about that. It is the Midwestern way. This guide covers everything a Midwesterner (current or former, native or transplant) could think of (and maybe even more). From the language to the culture, from the most skilled of apologies to the longest goodbyes, from drinking games to euchre, this guide shows that the Midwest is more than a bunch of flyover states (the Midwest is comprised of 12 states) that have really long, cold winters (though we do have those, too).

            I will be the first to admit that I had not heard of Charlie Berens when I checked out this book from the library. I saw a patron return it, thought it looked funny, and checked it out for myself. Both my brothers and my sister-in-law are familiar with the author-podcaster. I have clearly been missing out, but this guide is a great introduction to the comedian-also-author. It is hilarious and contains illustrations, quizzes, sidebars and so much knowledge. I can’t tell you how many times I laughed out loud or nodded my head, because, yes, that is exactly how it is. The four-way stop? I got ’er down. The OPEs! and the UFF DAs! Yah, ya betcha, use those widely, too. For those completely unfamiliar with the Midwest, this guide may seem too strange and bizarre, but to anyone familiar with the Midwest - especially if you grew up here and still live somewhere in there - it is a guide chock-full of entertainment. I will also admit that I am not a card game player, and I have zero knowledge of euchre. I expect this is a great, Midwestern faux pas. Geez, sorry, ope! These things happen, keep ‘er movin’.

            Note, mostly to self: Go to Minneapolis and eat at Vinai, Chef Yia Vang’s restaurant. It serves Hmong food. The restaurant’s name is an homage to the refugee camp that the chef’s parents were at (Ban Vinai). Chef Yia was born in 1984.

            Also, did you know …

                        … that it’s illegal in Minnesota to sleep naked? (Who’s going to police that?)

                        … that it’s illegal to fish for whales on Sunday in Ohio?

                        … that horses are forbidden to eat fire hydrants in Marshalltown, Iowa? (From the author: “Kinda makes you wonder what hydrants and horses are made of in Marshalltown.”)

                        … that you can’t fish in pajamas or fly a kite in Chicago?

Rutabaga's Reads 2022: Part 6

While I’ve been an elementary school student volunteering in the school’s library, and I’ve been a patron of libraries, it’s only within the past year that I’ve worked in a library. I love libraries, but I’ll be the first to admit that I primarily buy my books. Books are one of my happy places. (Walt Disney World is another, in case anyone’s randomly wondering.) Working in a library means I want to check out books all the time, but I can’t, as my TBR shelf at home is already extensive enough.

            This post is dedicated to books I’ve checked out. I will say a few things about each book, but they won’t be like my regular write-ups (which I realize do get long).

Cat & Cat Adventures: The Quest for Snacks (Sept. 7, 2021) by Susie Yi.

   Format: Hardcover graphic novel

   Genre: Fantasy cartoon, fiction

   Target Audience: Cat-lovers and people who enjoy graphic novels

            Oh no! Squash and Ginny have run out of snacks! *gasp* Thanks to a magic wand and a magical portal, the two cats embark on a quest to Mewmaid Ocean for a catfish scale, a lava rock from Mount Lava and a jar of rain from the Enchanted Rain Forest. They make new friends along the way, like Coral (a catfish), Magma (a lava dog) and Lotus (Queen of the Enchanted Rain Forest and leader of the bun-fairies). Unfortunately, the rain forest is dry; it hasn’t rained in weeks, as the rain forest spirit is ill. Lotus has been making medicine, but two ingredients are missing, and it’s too windy for the bun-fairies to fly it up the giant rock. This graphic novel features problem-solving by two adventurous, spirited cats and is laid out in bright, bold, colorful illustrations with the expected sparse text. This magical setting encourages friendship and kindness with such fun cartoon cats that readers will look toward future installments. I found this delightful, and I don’t typically peruse graphic novels. In fact, this is the first one I’ve ever read (outside of one graphic novel ARC).

Harry Potter: Christmas at Hogwarts: Magical Movie Moments (Oct. 6, 2020) by Jody Revenson.

   Format: Hardcover

   Genre: Fantasy fiction

   Target Audience: Anyone who loves the Wizarding World of Harry Potter

            As someone who loves Christmas and is of an age where she watched every single Harry Potter movie in the theatre, this small book is practically nostalgic. It provides fun facts about the sets and costuming and more; there are so many bits of information I never knew. It would be a lovely addition to anyone’s Harry Potter collection.

Silly Jokes About Monsters (Aug. 1, 2021) by Michael Dahl.

   Format: Hardcover with pictures

   Genre: Joke book, shelved in nonfiction

   Target Audience: Humor-seekers of simple jokes

            It’s smart for young people to understand humor and sarcasm, but it can be hard to find clean jokes or jokes that make sense to youngsters of the 21^st Century. This joke book is one of a series. There aren’t more than a few jokes per page, and there are illustrations to accompany many jokes, making for a book that youth will get through quickly. The jokes are punchy and funny in a dad-joke kind-of-way. It includes an activity at the end, for those wanting to create their own monsters. For anyone looking for a joke book that is inoffensive, give this one, or the others in the series, a try.

Soof (Oct. 9, 2018) by Sarah Weeks.

   Format: Audiobook, read by Talitha Bateman (2h, 59m)

   Genre: Realistic fiction

   Target Audience: Readers looking for character-driven family narratives

            12-year-old Aurora (Rory) Franklin has many idiosyncrasies, like tapping three times, speaking in “Beepish,” and wearing her shirts inside out even after the tags have been removed. Doctors and specialists have ruled out an autism spectrum disorder. Rory is simply her own unique, quirky self. She is the only daughter of “older” parents (her mom gave birth to her at age 48). The relationship with her mother becomes estranged pending Heidi’s arrival. Heidi was a foster child of her parents before Rory came along. Heidi is said to be good luck, but Rory is immensely jealous, and it’s exemplified by her feeling of inadequacy compared to this Heidi she’s never met. Things worsen after a house fire and Duck, the family dog and Rory’s only friend, goes missing. Soof is a word from Heidi’s childhood, and it was her intellectually disabled mother’s word for love. Rory wonders if her mom has more soof for Heidi than for her in this middle-grade story, which does have a happy resolution. The tale is poignant, and Aurora is complex. While I could empathize with the emotional toil associated with a lost pet, I struggled with the character. For almost the entire story, she’s a brat. She’s not only blunt, she’s rude (even beyond her blah-blah-blahs and Beepish language). I did not connect with the character and therefore wasn’t a fan.

            P.S. This is the first audiobook I’ve ever listened to. For me, this format is not my style. I much prefer a physical book.

South Korea: Countries Around the World (Jan. 1, 2012) by Elizabeth Raum.

   Format: Hardcover

   Genre: Nonfiction, history/geography

   Target Audience: Those interested in a simple overview of South Korea (this is part of a Countries Around the World series, and my local library carries all of them except one)

            While certainly no in-depth reference book, this early-reader nonfiction book has a lot of solid facts about South Korea. It does show its time, though. Published in 2012, the book’s mention of K-pop doesn’t include BTS, as they did not debut until 2013. This book – and the others in the series – would be excellent introductions of countries around the world for younger readers. They’re immersive books. I enjoyed learning that the Korean dialect spoken in the South is called Hangugeo and in the North it’s called Joseonmal. The pronunciations are usually understandable between the South and North, but words are spelled differently.

"The Sweet Life" by Suzanne Woods Fisher

The Sweet Life (May 3, 2022) by Suzanne Woods Fisher.*

*This is the first novel in a series.*

Life is not sweet for Dawn Dixon. Her fiancé, Kevin Collins, called off their engagement mere weeks from their wedding, because they’re “just not working.” Dawn goes to Chatham, Massachusetts, on what would've been their honeymoon and takes her mom, Marnie, along. Marnie is the opposite of Dawn’s super-structured, Type-A, must-have-a-plan personality. She's free-spirited and spiritual, prone to rash decisions like purchasing the Main Street Creamery as-is. She’s never made ice cream in her life; it’s Dawn and her late father that are the ice cream makers. Dawn is astounded and assumes it's because of the bombshell that Marnie dropped. Dawn agrees to help her with the Creamery; they’ll get it up and running by Memorial Day weekend and she’ll stay through Labor Day. Dawn takes a leave of absence from work, which is unheard of by everyone in Dawn’s life, as she’s been adamant about making partner. What neither of them realize is the hurdle and headache that dealing with the Historical Commission is, primarily one Mrs. Nickerson-Eldridge. Dawn and Marnie have a lot of help in transplant resident Lincoln Hayes. Will Dawn be able to go beyond creating something other than vanilla? And what will happen when Marnie’s impulsive purchase brings Kevin to Cape Cod?

            The first in the Cape Cod Creamery series wasn’t what I expected, but in a good way! The mother-daughter duo are complete opposites; they really are like oil and water, night and day. I found the dynamic exasperating, as Dawn is a micromanager and Marnie is too impulsive, bordering on irresponsible, and she can’t complete one project before trying out 10 more, but also endearing to watch them navigate working together, embracing differences and growing beyond their respective focuses. “The Sweet Life” is, at its heart, a story of new beginnings, new opportunities, growth and reflection. There may even be a chance for broken bonds to mend and new love to sprout. Faith is present, but never preachy. The only major issue is that each time I picked up the book, I wanted ice cream in the worst way! Still do!

            P.S. I was happy to see that my local library ordered this book for patrons, and it’s already checked out.

            Lines to make you think: “I’ve come to realize that having faith is a lot like drawing close to a fire. You back away from it and the coals grow cold. You have to tend the fire for faith to grow.” --Kevin to Dawn after she tells him it sounds like he’s “gone and got religion.” (p. 240)

* Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Revell Books. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions are expressly my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”