nonfiction – Page 11

Marshmallow reviews The Secret Life of a Snowflake by Kenneth Libbrecht

Today Marshmallow reviews a beautiful book she really likes: The Secret Life of a Snowflake: An Up-Close Look at the Art and Science of Snowflakes by Kenneth Libbrecht, published first in 2009. Sprinkles is asking questions and taking notes.

Marshmallow reviews The Secret Life of a Snowflake: An Up-Close Look at the Art and Science of Snowflakes by Kenneth Libbrecht. — Marshmallow reviews *The Secret Life of a Snowflake: An Up-Close Look at the Art and Science of Snowflakes* by Kenneth Libbrecht.

Sprinkles: So Marshmallow, you decided to talk about The Secret Life of a Snowflake today. This book has been on our bookshelves for a while now. I’m glad you picked it up for the blog today. Can you tell us a bit about it?

Marshmallow: This is a book written by a physicist named Kenneth Libbrecht who loves and studies crystals. And snowflakes are crystals, and he loves to take their photos. There are lots of photos in the book, and I love looking at them.

S: I know. I love looking at this book, too. It is just beautiful.

M: Yes! But the author is a scientist, so he also explains a bit about how snowflakes are formed and also about how clouds are formed, why snow is white, and so on.

S: Caramel would like this book, right?

M: Of course. He would love it because it is so “factful”!

S: Exactly.

Marshmallow is reading The Secret Life of a Snowflake: An Up-Close Look at the Art and Science of Snowflakes by Kenneth Libbrecht. — Marshmallow is reading *The Secret Life of a Snowflake: An Up-Close Look at the Art and Science of Snowflakes* by Kenneth Libbrecht.

S: Did you know that the author has a website where he has a lot more information and photos about snowflakes?

M:Well, I did not, until you told me. And then we went and checked it out together. Our readers should check it out too: http://snowcrystals.com/

S: Yes. There are lots of exciting things there.

M: Exciting and beautiful. I found the section about designer snowflakes especially interesting.

S: There is also a special page for a monster snowflake which is apparently almost comparable to a penny in size! But back to the book. I know reading it once or twice, you get the science down. But I saw you read this book many many more times.

M: Yes. Because I really like the pictures in it. They calm me and comfort me.

S: And they make you smile. I saw.

M: Yes. They are very pretty, and each snowflake is so different, so pretty in a different way.

S: They are all very symmetric. I think that can feel somewhat calming.

M: Yes, maybe.

S: So if you were to rate this book, what would your rating be?

M: 100%. Definitely. I think this could be a really neat book for young bunnies to read with their parents, because it has science, it has beautiful pictures; it has all kinds of good things. The writing is simple, but very clear. And it gets a lot of information across.

S: Agreed. But I think bunnies can definitely read it on their own and enjoy it too, no matter how old they are.

M: Yes. Or it could make a great gift, especially for a winter holiday…

S: What a neat idea! Okay, Marshmallow. I think this is a good time to wrap up this review. What would you like to tell our readers?

M: Stay tuned for more amazing reviews from the book bunnies!

Marshmallow rates The Secret Life of a Snowflake: An Up-Close Look at the Art and Science of Snowflakes by Kenneth Libbrecht 100%. — Marshmallow rates *The Secret Life of a Snowflake: An Up-Close Look at the Art and Science of Snowflakes* by Kenneth Libbrecht 100%.

Marshmallow reviews Fun Home by Alison Bechdel

Today Marshmallow reviews Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic by Alison Bechdel, published first in 2006. Sprinkles is taking notes and asking questions.

Sprinkles: I know you enjoy reading graphic novels, Marshmallow, so I thought this book might be right up your alley. Let us talk about it. Can you tell our readers first what the book is about?

Marshmallow: The book is about Alison Bechdel herself, who is a cartoon artist. The story is about her growing up and figuring out her sexual orientation and coming out to her parents.

S: That is a pretty serious topic.

M: It is. But it is not all. There is also the fact that her father is also gay, and she eventually figures this out and wants to feel close to him, similar to him.

S: So why is the book called Fun Home?

M: Because her family is running a funeral home, and when they talk of the business, they jokingly call their home the fun home.

S: Is the book funny?

M: I did not think that was the main point of the book. It is essentially a memoir, the artist coming to terms with her sexuality and her family.

S: So the themes seem to me to be more appropriate for older bunnies, would you agree?

M: Yes, probably high school or above. There is some somewhat explicit sexual content, and there is some mention of drug use as well. Caramel wanted to read it too, but I think he might not yet be ready for it.

S: Hmm, I see. Did you know that the book was banned in some places because it was deemed to be immoral?

M: I could imagine. A lot of books about different sexual orientations seem to bother a lot of people.

Marshmallow is reading Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic by Alison Bechdel. — Marshmallow is reading *Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic* by Alison Bechdel.

S: Did you know this book was made into a Broadway musical?

M: It says so on the cover of the book. So we looked it up and found some of the songs. It apparently won lots of awards! I also remember that Alison Bechdel appeared in a Simpsons episode we saw recently, the one where Lisa and Marge write a graphic novel called Sad Girl.

S: Yes, that is true. And the Bechdel test was mentioned in that episode, too, do you remember? Do you know what the Bechdel test is?

M: Wikipedia says that it is “a measure of the representation of women in film and other fiction. The test asks whether a work features at least two women who talk to each other about something other than a man. The requirement that the two women be named is sometimes added.” That Simpsons episode talked about that too.

S: It is a neat idea, isn’t it?

M: And kind of sad that it is a thing actually.

S: Agreed. Anyways, back to Fun Home. All in all, I am glad you read this book, and we got to talk about it. It is an important book in many ways.

M: I can appreciate that. But I do think it is not very suitable for young bunnies.

S: I get it. So if you were to rate it what would you rate it as?

M: I’d rate it 90%. It is well written, well drawn, and tells an important story. But it is not quite appropriate for young bunnies, and parents and other adults responsible for young bunnies should read it before sharing with their young ones.

S: Fair enough. So let us wrap up this review. What would you like to tell our readers?

M: Stay tuned for more amazing reviews from the book bunnies!

Marshmallow rates Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic by Alison Bechdel 90%. — Marshmallow rates *Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic* by Alison Bechdel 90%.

Caramel reviews Easy Aircraft Origami by Jayson Merrill

Today Caramel reviews Easy Aircraft Origami, a book by Jayson Merrill first published in 2020. As usual, Sprinkles is taking notes and asking questions.

Sprinkles: So Caramel, tell us a bit about this book.

Caramel: So this book has fourteen different planes that you can make that are supposedly easier than some other possible origami.

S: I hear a “but” coming.

C: Yep, you do! So the book says the projects are easy and for “less experienced folders”, but some of them are actually hard. Marshmallow is the most experienced origamist in our home, but even she had difficulty with the Razorback, which looks really cool, but I don’t really know how it flies because I still have not been able to make one.

S: Hmm, I see. So some of them are really hard. But why are we reviewing this book then? Did you at least make some of the planes?

C: Well, I tried to make some of them. For example I tried to make Hex, but I failed several times on my own. Then we made it together, you and me, and then it worked!

S: Yes, we had to be a bit careful and so on, but we did make it in the end. And it flies really well, doesn’t it?

C: But it was hard to fold the paper that many times.

S: I think our paper was a bit thick. If we had used thinner paper, maybe it could have been easier.

C: I guess. But we used a pretty large paper, and it was thick, but it folded well. And the plane is big, too, so I am happy with the paper.

S: No problem then, as long as you are happy!

Caramel is reading Easy Aircraft Origami by Jayson Merrill. — Caramel is reading *Easy Aircraft Origami* by Jayson Merrill.

S: So it seems to me that even though some of the projects are hard, you are probably not giving up on the book any time soon.

C: No, I’m not. The Hex flies so well that I am thinking I want to make all of them. But I might need help.

S: I know. Marshmallow and I can help you if you want.

C: That would be good.

S: I saw that among the fourteen projects there are two which are circular; they do not look at all like paper planes.

C: Yes, they are called Stratus and Cirrus. They kind of look like frisbees.

S: I thought they looked like UFOs.

C: I guess that works too. If someone saw them flying and didn’t know what they were, they would really be UFOs. Unidentified Flying Objects, get it?

S: Yep. Do you know what Stratus and Cirrus are?

C: No.

S: They are types of clouds.

C: I did not know that.

S: This page describes the cirrus clouds as “wispy, feathery, and composed entirely of ice crystals”. Apparently they occur higher in the atmosphere and are often “the first sign of an approaching warm front or upper-level jet streak”.

C: That is interesting. What about stratus clouds?

S: The page says that stratus clouds show up in the lower levels of the atmosphere, closer to the ground, and they are “uniform and flat, producing a
gray layer of cloud cover which may be precipitation-free or may cause periods of light precipitation or drizzle”.

C: I knew that clouds looked different from one another but I did not know that the different kinds had names. That’s cool!

S: I agree! But so these two circular ones are named after clouds. Does that make sense to you?

C: Yes. Because maybe the names mean that they will go high as the clouds.

S: We can only hope! So it is about time to wrap up this review Caramel. What would you like to tell our readers?

C: Stay tuned for more book bunny reviews!

Caramel has enjoyed reading Easy Aircraft Origami by Jayson Merrill and is planning to make many of the aircraft projects in it in the coming weeks. — Caramel has enjoyed reading *Easy Aircraft Origami* by Jayson Merrill and is planning to make many of the aircraft projects in it in the coming weeks.

Marshmallow reviews How to Be a High School Superstar by Cal Newport

Last week Marshmallow reviewed How to Become a Straight-A Student by Cal Newport. This week, as we dive into the new school year, she is continuing with a similar book, How to Be a High School Superstar, first published in 2010. Sprinkles is asking questions and taking notes.

Sprinkles: So Marshmallow, it is back to school time, and you are reading all these books about how to be a good student. You just reviewed How to Become a Straight-A Student by Cal Newport last week. And now we are looking at How to Be a High School Superstar, which was written later but is meant for a younger audience.

Marshmallow: Yes, this one is for bunnies who are beginning high school and want to know about how to make the best of it. The other book was mainly intended for college bunnies.

S: I see. So what kinds of advice do you find in this book?

M: The main ides is to be an interesting student so that you can get into college.

S: What does that mean?

M: So Cal Newport thinks that it is not how many As you get in your classes and how many activities you are involved in that matters. He thinks that college admissions folks look at the whole package and want to admit students who look interesting.

S: So what does interesting mean?

M: He suggests that you should leave yourself a lot of free time to explore new directions and find a thing or two that you are really into and you can really advance in, so you can be more than just a good student.

S: So I am assuming he takes it for granted that you will be a good student, or at least a good enough student, and then he tells the reader what else to do to round out one’s college application package. Right?

M: Yes, I think so.

S: So the book is very much directed towards high school students who are looking to get into college.

M: Yep.

Marshmallow is reading How to Be a High School Superstar by Cal Newport. — Marshmallow is reading *How to Be a High School Superstar* by Cal Newport.

S: Okay, so tell me how one can become a more interesting person.

M: According to Cal Newport, doing less is more, so focus on one thing and do that really well. Like, he thinks that doing a sport and doing some volunteering and doing theatre and doing band and so on all at once without really paying any special attention to any one of them makes you dilute your efforts, and while trying to be well rounded you end up being mediocre in all things.

S: That reminds me of something I had heard from a college faculty member I know. He said something like, “while people are looking for well roundedness, I want to find all the sharp knives.”

M: I think I can see what he means by that! I think Cal Newport would agree.

S: Besides this big idea, what other recommendations does he make in this book?

M: Well, I think that is really the main point of the book. He uses the phrase “relaxed superstar”. He thinks that is what one should aspire to be.

S: I see. That sounds nice.

M: I think so, too.

S: So how would you rate this book then?

M: I’d rate it 100%. I think it makes a good point about being intentional about how one goes about doing high school. Wow! I managed to make one sentence with three “about”s!

S: Yes, I give you 100% for that! So this is a good place to wrap up this review, I think. What would you like to tell our readers?

M: Stay tuned for more amazing reviews from the book bunnies!