BookBunnies

Marshmallow reviews Hope in the Dark by Rebecca Solnit

Marshmallow enjoys reading fiction and most often reviews works of fiction for our blog. But this week she decided to write about Rebecca Solnit’s Hope in the Dark: Untold Histories, Wild Possibilities, first written in 2004 and then republished with a new foreword and an afterword in 2016.

Marshmallow reviews Hope in the Dark: Untold Histories, Wild Possibilities by Rebecca Solnit. — Marshmallow reviews *Hope in the Dark: Untold Histories, Wild Possibilities* by Rebecca Solnit.

Marshmallow’s Quick Take: If you like nonfiction books that discuss current events, or if you are worried about the future because of said current events, then this might be the book for you.

Marshmallow’s Summary (with Spoilers): Rebecca Solnit goes over several depressing events of the recent years with a new perspective. She defines hope, not as optimism, but as the acknowledgment of possibilities for a better world. The author carefully analyzes the past and the present to demonstrate how hope is intertwined with action. Her rousing book encourages readers to keep sight of a brighter future, within reason. Diverging from the common conceptions of hope, this book presents a stronger, newer perspective:

Hope locates itself in the premises that we don’t know what will happen and that in the spaciousness of uncertainty is room to act.

Simply put, hope is not naive optimism but rather the ability to see the possibilities in the uncertainties that surround us and the capacity to act accordingly.

Citing recent events, famous people, and writers of old, Rebecca Solnit builds her case as to why hope is so relevant and important to our modern world. In each of her twenty-one short chapters, she focuses on a different aspect of hope and how we should nurture it. In the end, she builds a solid argument for why there is always hope, even in the darkest times.

Marshmallow is reading Hope in the Dark: Untold Histories, Wild Possibilities by Rebecca Solnit. — Marshmallow is reading *Hope in the Dark: Untold Histories, Wild Possibilities* by Rebecca Solnit.

Marshmallow’s Review: In these deeply troubled times, hope is difficult to find. This book is refreshing to read as it does not offer any easy solutions or fake comfort; rather it states clearly that things are not going to work out the way we want them to unless we start making changes. With clear evidence and reasoning, the author proves with finality that we are not inevitably doomed (the key word being “inevitably”).

This is a book that we should all read, though it might be a little advanced or confusing for younger bunnies. The clarity with which the author presents her position helps the reader engage effectively with her ideas. The flow of thought is easy to follow, and the chapters all have several ideas and concrete examples relevant to the main topic (hope).

Originally, I read this book for a project concerning hope. This book not only proved itself to be an invaluable resource for evidence, quotes, and ideas for my project, but also was a source of inspiration more broadly for life in a dark world. I found it wise that the author, Rebecca Solnit, never says it will get better. This specifically, I felt, was not just a sound decision, but also a main theme throughout the course of the book. If anything, I found this book to be a call to action— what this action must be, however, is more difficult to perceive. Yet, this book was extremely helpful to read, as it served as a reminder that we have the potential and opportunity to improve our world.

In this short book review, I hope I have done more than just inform you about a book I have read. I hope that I have also pointed you towards a refreshing idea, a new perspective, that I think can be both informative and beneficial for everyone.

Marshmallow’s Rating: 99%.

Marshmallow rates Hope in the Dark: Untold Histories, Wild Possibilities by Rebecca Solnit 99%. — Marshmallow rates *Hope in the Dark: Untold Histories, Wild Possibilities* by Rebecca Solnit 99%.

Caramel reviews Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao

Caramel has a big appetite for all books, and he loves to share what he has read with the readers of this blog. This week, he got his paws on Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao, a 2021 young adult novel Sprinkles had intended for Marshmallow. And then for the next couple days he could not be separated from it, until he was finally done reading. Today, he discusses this book with Sprinkles, who is taking notes and asking questions. There may be more spoilers in this review than usual.

Sprinkles: So Caramel, I had thought this would be a book for Marshmallow, but you took it and read it first. What appealed to you so much from the beginning?

Caramel: The robots on the back cover.

S: I had not even seen that as a mecha before you showed it to me! But yes, now I can see that it looks like a mechanical dragon.

C: It is a mechanical bird.

S: Really? Tell me more.

C: That thing on the cover is the Vermillion Bird. It is a Chrysalis, a mecha that the humans in Huaxia use to fight the giant aliens who are native to the planet.

S: Ooh, so the main character is a human living on a planet that is not the Earth, and there are native creatures on this planet, and the humans are fighting them.

C: Well, we don’t learn that the Hundun are native to the planet until the end actually. So that is a big spoiler there!

S: Oops! I did not know. But did you know that the Vermillion Bird is actually a traditional Chinese symbol? Wikipedia says “it represents the Fire element, the direction south, and the season summer”.

C: Really?

S: Does that match with anything in the book?

C: I’m not sure. But that is interesting! And the four symbols and the five elements Wikipedia talks about also show up in the book.

S: Okay, that is neat! So the author has incorporated a bunch of Chinese mythology into the story then! Pretty cool… Why don’t you tell me more about the story?

C: Well, the Chrysalises are powered by a woman and a man, and almost always things end up with the woman dying.

S: That’s kind of weird.

C: Actually there are only three women who have ever survived being in a Chrysalis and the main character Zetian is one of them.

S: And is she the narrator?

C: Yes. And the book is in first person, and I really like that. She is also always writing in the present tense, which makes things sound a lot more like they are happening as she writes. And that makes things more interesting.

S: I can see that!

Caramel is reading Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao. — Caramel is reading *Iron Widow* by Xiran Jay Zhao.

S: So the inside cover jacket describes the book as follows:

In Huaxia, the highest honor for a young girl is to be selected as a concubine-pilot: supporters paired up with male pilots to power up Chrysalises, the giant transforming mechas that humanity relies on to battle the massive aliens that lurk behind the Great Wall. But the honor often ends in death, and when eighteen-year-old Zetian’s sister is killed by an ace pilot, she signs up to avenge her.

C: Yes, exactly what I told you!

S: I can see that. So then what happens?

C: She does take her revenge, and the pilot is killed, and that is why she is called an iron widow.

S: But the book does not end there.

C: No, it does not. In fact all this happens quite early on. To be precise it happens at the end of chapter 7, and there are 47 chapters and an epilogue.

S: So there is a lot more that happens after, right?

C: Oh, yes. And it is all pretty interesting.

S: You also said there was some mushiness and some bad words.

C: Yes, Marshmallow calls it mushy, and I just skip those things. And they use the F-word a couple times.

S: Okay, so about that mushiness: does Zetian have a romantic interest?

C: Yes.

S: But it is not essential to the rest of the story?

C: Well, a little, but I did not need to know all the details of them kissing and so on.

S: When it is a young adult book, sometimes those things seem to show up.

C: Well, it is still a pretty cool book. And apparently there will be a second book, but it’s not coming out till next summer! Can you believe that? How am I supposed to wait that long?

S: I don’t know Caramel. I guess you just have to read other books in the meantime.

C: And I want to talk to the author and complain! I really want to read that second book!

S: Well, it may not be all up to the author. Anyways, so there is a second book. Does that mean this book ends in a cliffhanger?

C: Yes. It’s a big bad cliffhanger. Like the Big Bad Wolf.

S: What do you mean? Doesn’t the main part of the story of this book get resolved?

C: Yes, there is some resolution, I’m not telling what, but there is so much more that is going to happen next, I’m sure. And I want to know about it.

S: I can see this was a fun book to read! It has mechas, aliens, space ships, and all kinds of fun stuff you like.

C: Exactly.

S: So why don’t you give me your three-word description for the book?

C: Mechas against patriarchy.

S: Well, “patriarchy” is a big word for you Caramel. Do you know what it means?

C: Yes. It means the men are on top and the women are not. And in this book, Zetian is living in a world which uses women up in these mechas. And she won’t have any more of it.

S: Those three words will work then. Though it is maybe more correct to say “Zetian against patriarchy”, no?

C: Yes, but I have to mention the mechas! And while I’m doing that, we have to link to the author’s page which has a lot of cool drawings of the mechas in the book!

S: Sure, Caramel. Those pictures are pretty amazing. And on a related page, the author writes that the book is a “sci-fi retelling of the rise of Wu Zetian, the only female emperor in Chinese history”.

C: That is really cool! I did not know that when I was reading. That makes total sense though! But I want to read the next book, too. Maybe it will be like when she is the emperor? It is called “Heavenly Tyrant” so that makes sense!

S: Yes, I agree Caramel. Definitely something to look forward to for next year. So what do you want to tell our readers as we wrap things up?

C: Stay tuned for more book bunny reviews!

Caramel loved Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao and can't wait to learn more about Zetian and what she will end up doing in the next book. — Caramel loved *Iron Widow* by Xiran Jay Zhao and can’t wait to learn more about Zetian and what she will end up doing in the next book.

Marshmallow reviews Hollow City: The Second Novel of Miss Peregrine’s Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs

A few weeks ago, Marshmallow reviewed Miss Peregrine’s Home For Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs and ended her review telling us that she was eager to read the next book in the series. In the following weeks, she indeed found and read the second book, Hollow City, published in 2014, and today she shares her thoughts on it with our readers.

Marshmallow’s Quick Take: If you like books about magic and friendship, then this might be the book for you.

Marshmallow’s Summary (with Spoilers): Jacob Portman is peculiar. In Miss Peregrine’s Home For Peculiar Children, the first book of the series, Jacob discovered that the fantastic stories his grandfather told him were all true. Upon his grandfather’s death, he went to the island where the stories were based and discovered a hidden world, one full of children who had been living sheltered in a time loop for decades. These children were hiding from the rest of the world because they all possessed a peculiarity that made life outside dangerous for them. (Some examples of peculiarity include having control over fire and being invisible) These children were protected by women who could turn into birds. Unfortunately, soon after Jacob’s arrival, the children who were living on the island were driven out of their home and their keeper, Miss Peregrine, was forced into her bird form. During his time with these children, Jacob formed a close bond with them, specifically a girl named Emma. When they were forced out, Jacob and his friends ended up in the 1940s and were on the run from monsters who wanted to eat children with magical peculiarities.

This second book starts more or less at the same time where the first one ended. The children are in rowboats, running away. They believe that Miss Peregrine is the only one who can help them, but since she is trapped in her bird form and seemingly cannot change back, Jacob and his friends must find another time loop run by another keeper who can help them. Unfortunately, the monsters who want to eat them are coming after them fast. Besides this serious worry, Jacob also learns that Miss Peregrine has only a few days left before she will be stuck in bird form forever. How long can Jacob and the children go before it’s too late to save Miss Peregrine? How can they find a new home that will keep them safe?

Marshmallow is reading Hollow City: The Second Novel of Miss Peregrine's Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs. — Marshmallow is reading *Hollow City: The Second Novel of Miss Peregrine’s Peculiar Children* by Ransom Riggs.

Marshmallow’s Review: I think Hollow City is a great followup to Miss Peregrine’s Home For Peculiar Children, the first Miss Peregrine’s Peculiar Children book. And it definitely did not curb my enthusiasm, and I look forward to reading the next one. That said, I did find this book a little more confusing than the first. I think I have missed certain details during my first read and so had to go back and reread some parts to figure things out.

The plot twist at the end (though I suspected it) led to a great turn of events and made the book much more interesting! I liked how it shook the ending up and made the book lead into the next one. Of course this means that the end of this book is not the end of the series, and there is definitely a cliffhanger, and you know I am not too keen on cliffhangers. But the author introduces several new characters towards the end and they really intrigued me.

This edition of Hollow City is similar to the first book. There are many old-looking photos sprinkled in through the book, and the story connects with them, just like before. Most of the photos are eerie, like the ones from the first book, but maybe they are a tad less scary. Or I might just be getting used to the feel of these images.

Hollow City adds much more to the world of peculiar children. There are many new characters, both human and animal. I enjoyed reading it thoroughly. I should still repeat my warning for the first book however. This is a great book, but it might be too scary or complicated for children younger than 12.

Marshmallow’s Rating: 98%.

Marshmallow rates Hollow City: The Second Novel of Miss Peregrine's Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs 98%. — Marshmallow rates *Hollow City: The Second Novel of Miss Peregrine’s Peculiar Children* by Ransom Riggs 98%.

Caramel reviews Glow Animals by K.C. Kelley

A few weeks ago, Caramel visited the book fair held in his school campus and picked a handful of nonfiction books for himself. A couple weeks ago, he reviewed two of them: Sea Bunnies by Kelly Hargrave and Hot Lava! Fiery Facts About Volcanoes by Alice Fewery. Today he talks about the third book he got from the book fair: Glow Animals by K.C. Kelley. As usual, Sprinkles is taking notes and asking questions.

Sprinkles: Okay, Caramel. This is the third book from the book fair. Are you still happy you managed to get your paws in this one?

Caramel: Yes.

S: So tell us a bit about this book.

C: This book is about all sorts of animals that glow.

S: What does that mean?

C: It’s called bioluminescence.

S: That’s a big word for a little bunny.

C: Yep. I have all the words!

S: Okay, so tell me what bioluminescence means.

C: It’s animals and other living beings creating light somehow.

S: That is pretty fascinating stuff.

C: It is.

S: So what kinds of animals do we meet in this book?

C: For one, my new amazing squishy friend Jellyfish. He is bioluminescent. Like about 50% of all jellyfish. I learned that from this website of a lab at the University of California San Diego.

S: That’s interesting! Do you know how jellyfish make their light?

C: Bioluminescence.

S: I get that, but what is the mechanism?

C: There is a segment in their body that holds a bunch of chemicals and the jellyfish mixes them to make light. Well, actually I am making that up because the book does not really talk about how they make their light.

S: Okay, I thought your explanation was plausible, you could have fooled me. But so the book did not tell you about the mechanism of how a jellyfish can make light? I’m thinking they should have!

C: Well, they do explain things more generally. Most animals which glow have some chemical, luciferin, in a part of their body, and when they mix it with oxygen, it glows.

S: Hmm, I did not know that! And I did not know what luciferin was till now. So Wikipedia tells me that “luciferin (from the Latin lucifer, “light-bearer”) is a generic term for the light-emitting compound found in organisms that generate bioluminescence”. So some mechanisms are explained then.

C: Yes.

S: And fireflies and jellyfish are pretty different animals! What other animals do we meet in this book?

C: Lantern fish, click beetle, dragon fish, lantern shark. Which is different from the lantern fish.

S: Hmm, I did not know there were sharks that could make light!

C: Yes, there are!

S: Apparently they are rather small. At most three feet or so.

C: Well, for a bunny, that is not really small. I’d not want to meet one if I could help it.

S: I understand Caramel.

C: At least the dwarf lantern shark is really small. It is about four inches. Now I would not mind meeting one of those.

S: Makes sense to me.

Caramel and his new squishy friend Jellyfish are reading Glow Animals by K.C. Kelley. — Caramel and his new squishy friend Jellyfish are reading *Glow Animals* by K.C. Kelley.

S: What else is in the book?

C: There are more animals with bioluminescence. And then there are other animals which don’t make their own light, but their skin or fur reacts to UV light. That is called fluorescence.

S: Oh that’s cool too. What are some examples of fluorescent animals?

C: Glowing sea slug and pyrosome.

S: Hmm, I know about sea slugs because you told me all about them when you were reviewing that book Sea Bunnies, but what are pyrosome?

C: According to the book, they are actually colonies of tiny animals called zooids, and they look like purple fuzzy cucumbers.

S: Wikipedia says they are also called sea pickles. That’s interesting too, Caramel. I learned a lot today. So did you like this book then? It seems to have a lot of facts.

C: Yes. And it has lots of colorful pictures of weird animals. So I like the book. And my new friend Jellyfish, of course.

S: Of course. So how about describing the book to me in three words?

C: Colorful weird animal facts. Well, that’s four words.

S: It will do, Caramel. Let us wrap this up then. What do you want to tell our readers?

C: Stay tuned for more book bunny reviews!

Caramel loved reading Glow Animals by K.C. Kelley and playing with his new squishy friend Jellyfish (who eventually went back to his little room to rest). He expects he will look over these pages many times in the coming weeks and months. — Caramel loved reading *Glow Animals* by K.C. Kelley and playing with his new squishy friend Jellyfish (who eventually went back to his little room to rest). He expects he will look over these pages many times in the coming weeks and months.