{"id":729,"date":"2007-06-24T00:04:45","date_gmt":"2007-06-24T06:04:45","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blaine.org\/sevenimpossiblethings\/?p=729"},"modified":"2008-01-10T16:53:46","modified_gmt":"2008-01-10T22:53:46","slug":"7-imps-7-kicks-16-meet-jlo","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/blaine.org\/sevenimpossiblethings\/?p=729","title":{"rendered":"7-Imp’s 7 Kicks #16: Meet J.Lo!"},"content":{"rendered":"

Adam Rex<\/a><\/strong> is the best thing ever (to pick up Adrienne’s<\/a><\/strong> favorite phrase). At last week’s 7-Kicks list<\/a><\/strong>, Adam’s name came up and then several of us were discussing our big, big love for his books. So, Eisha asked what the possibility would be of getting an illustration for this week’s list, and Adam sent two, never-seen-before ones. Woo hoo! In his words, “I couldn’t see the fun in simply giving you permission to post something that already appears elsewhere on the web, so I’m sending two images that appear nowhere else I know of.” Thanks, Adam!<\/p>\n

Meet J.Lo — to the left here. This illustration is . . . well, here’s what Adam said about it:<\/p>\n

“This one is really more in keeping with the spirit of your ‘7 Kicks’ feature. I have an illustrated novel called <\/em>The True Meaning of Smekday coming out this September . . . I painted the cover<\/a><\/strong>, which can also be found on my blog<\/a><\/strong>, and drew a lot of black and white illustrations for the interior. For the cover we went with a sort of typographical cityscape, and it always bothered me that I never painted either of my two main characters. So this week I made a portrait of my lead alien, J.Lo. The paint was literally just barely dry enough to scan him and send him to you, so that’s the exciting thing I did this week.”<\/em><\/p>\n

If you go here<\/a><\/strong>, everyone, you can read a brief comic about the upcoming release of the novel (to be published by Hyperion<\/a><\/strong> in September 2007). <\/p>\n

And then he sent us this illustration, too, page ten of his upcoming fall picture book, Pssst!<\/a><\/strong><\/em> (Harcourt). “I think if you know nothing of the book but the title and this page, you can still get a decent idea where the story’s heading,” he told us. The book cover<\/a><\/strong>, as well as some failed ideas<\/a><\/strong> for the book cover and other things, can be found on his blog, Editpus Rex<\/a><\/strong><\/em>.<\/p>\n

Many, many thanks to Adam Rex for the great art work this week!<\/p>\n

As usual, we look forward to reading everyone’s lists. We realize a lot of folks are at the ALA conference<\/a><\/strong> this weekend, but this will not deter those of us not seminar-hoppin’ in D.C. to share our lists (but, boy, do we wish we were there, too). <\/p>\n

{Oh, and here’s our usual intro for any new people: It’s time for another installment of 7-Imp’s 7 Kicks. For those new to our series, this is where we all stop in every Sunday to report seven (more or less is fine) Good Things that happened to you (or that you read or saw or experienced or . . . well, you get the picture) this week. Absolutely anyone is welcome to contribute, and your lists don’t have<\/em> to be book-related} . . . <\/p>\n

* * * * * * * Jules’ list * * * * * * *<\/center><\/p>\n

1). Adam’s illustrations this week. And this page<\/a><\/strong> of his web site, which Eisha pointed out to me and makes me laugh really hard. <\/p>\n

<\/a>2). I finally saw “Capote”<\/a><\/strong> this week. In Cold Blood<\/em><\/strong><\/a> is one of my favorite novels, and I enjoyed the movie and its insight on the writing of the novel. And, though I agree that the Academy<\/a><\/strong> doles out best actor and actress awards entirely too often to those who impersonate instead of creating new characters from scratch, I was still mighty impressed with Philip Seymour Hoffman’s<\/a><\/strong> performance. He just never disappoints, now does he? <\/p>\n

3) It seems like every time I get in my car anymore, the seriously awesome radio station here in Nashville<\/a><\/strong>, the only one worth listening to, is playing Wilco’s<\/a><\/strong> “What Light.” I’m not even that familiar with their music, but, dude, this is a lovely song. <\/p>\n

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4) I was driving down the interstate this week near downtown Nashville, and I saw a couple on the side of the road sitting with and stroking the fur of a deer that had either just been hit and was dying or was dead (I assume it was the former, since I think I remember seeing a quick flash of the deer’s big ‘ol beautiful eyes). This brought tears to my eyes — mostly because they had paused to get off the insane, busy roadway to comfort a dying creature, but also because seeing a deer hit on the side of the road always makes me gasp, every single time. They’re such beautiful animals. Perhaps the couple had been the ones to inadvertently hit the deer — or not. Either way, it was a fleeting moment of real grace. <\/p>\n

5) Good, good books. I got an advance proof of Jenny Downham’s Before I Die<\/a><\/strong><\/em> and can see why the editor<\/a><\/strong> is raving about it and has begun marketing the hell out of it. I kinda can’t put it down and it’s suddenly trumped everything else I am reading (it was easy to start reading, ’cause I was very curious, given David Fickling’s awesome track record, not to mention the first page pulls you right in). I wish I could read all day, with no interruptions, and finish it. It’s quite compelling. But I’m almost there. There’s an image of the UK cover on the left there, which I just found. <\/p>\n

6) The Summer Blog Blast Tour was a kick!<\/p>\n

7) Double water slides, old skool Slip ‘N Slides, water parks, and those bounce rooms at children’s birthday parties, which we’re about to go experience (I’m writing my list on Saturday) — generally, the kind of fun you can have with wee young children during the summer. My girls get a wild thrill just running through a sprinkler. Remember those days? <\/p>\n

* * * * eisha’s list * * * *<\/center><\/p>\n

Well, now, what are the odds? Jules mentions the new Wilco song as one of her kicks, and my first kick is…<\/p>\n

Sky Blue Sky1* The new Wilco album, Sky Blue Sky<\/em><\/strong><\/a>. Few things in this world make me as happy as a new Wilco album. Like A Ghost is Born<\/em><\/strong> and Yankee Hotel Foxtrot<\/em><\/strong>, on the first listen I was afraid it was a little mellow for me, except for the two standout songs “Walken” and “What Light.” But Jeff Tweedy’s lyrics and those not-quite-country melodies have a way of seeping slowly into my subconscious, until one day I realize I’m walking around incessantly singing one of those “mellow” songs I thought I didn’t like so much.<\/p>\n

Seriously, Jules, I can’t believe I’ve let you go this long without exposing you to my Wilco obsession. I know what I’m getting you for Christmas now.<\/p>\n

2* I also had a great time with the SBBT<\/strong><\/a>. Like I commented on Colleen’s wrap-up post<\/strong><\/a>, I loved being involved with this project because it’s so gratifying to see so many of us working together, incorporating all our different styles and approaches and tastes and getting everything done with (as far as I could see) no issues or egos or problems at all. I love this about the kidlitosphere.<\/p>\n

3* Excellent weather. Everyone else is complaining that it’s not very summery, but I like it – all week it’s been in the 70s, with those occasional ten-minute thunderstorms blowing through.<\/p>\n

4* We had a puppet show<\/strong><\/a> at work for our Summer Reading Program kick-off event on Monday, and it went over like gangbusters. 92 people showed up, most of them children. Which for our little branch was probably a fire code violation. But it was so hilarious to hear all those kids yelling up at the puppets, helping them solve the mystery: “It was the SKUNK! He ATE the EGGS!”<\/p>\n

5* And apparently I did a good job with my pre-SRP booktalks for the 5th-grade-and-up crowd, because the books I’d talked about (American Born Chinese<\/em><\/strong><\/a>, The Case of the Missing Marquess<\/em><\/strong><\/a>, and Homecoming<\/strong><\/em><\/a>) flew off the display shelf within the first day.<\/p>\n

Kiki Strike: the Empress\u2019s Tomb6* I tore through both of those ARCs my friend Jamie gave me – Kiki Strike: the Empress’s Tomb<\/em><\/strong><\/a> by Kirsten Miller, and The True Meaning of Smekday<\/em> by Adam Rex – and they were both awesome. So I could<\/em> tell you all about J.Lo up there, but I’ll wait for a proper review. For now I’ll just say – Adam Rex is so talented it’s not really fair. Dude can paint, and<\/em> he can really, really write.<\/p>\n

7* And I’m reading Michael Ondaatje’s<\/strong><\/a> new novel, Divisadero<\/strong><\/em><\/a>. And of course it’s amazing. It’s Michael Friggin’ Ondaatje<\/em>. What more do you need to know?<\/p>\n

*******<\/center><\/p>\n

So… how about the rest of you? Got any Kicks to share? We’d love to hear about them…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Adam Rex is the best thing ever (to pick up Adrienne’s favorite phrase). At last week’s 7-Kicks list, Adam’s name came up and then several of us were discussing our big, big love for his books. So, Eisha asked what the possibility would be of getting an illustration for this week’s list, and Adam sent […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-729","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-seven-good-things-before-monday"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/blaine.org\/sevenimpossiblethings\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/729","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/blaine.org\/sevenimpossiblethings\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/blaine.org\/sevenimpossiblethings\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/blaine.org\/sevenimpossiblethings\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/blaine.org\/sevenimpossiblethings\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=729"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/blaine.org\/sevenimpossiblethings\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/729\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/blaine.org\/sevenimpossiblethings\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=729"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/blaine.org\/sevenimpossiblethings\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=729"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/blaine.org\/sevenimpossiblethings\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=729"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}