It’s been a while since I read any chick lit type books, but this cover/title/style caught my eye and I checked out not only this, but also The Reading Group (by Noble). The set-up of this story is that Natalie has been dumped by her boyfriend of many years and her dear old friend Tom persuades her to spend the next 26 weekends with him (each time doing an activity that starts with a letter of the alphabet). At the end of that time he is sure Natalie will be in love with him. Natalie is not so sure about that, but does think it is a good way to get over Simon. Read the rest of this entry »
Alphabet Weekends by Elizabeth Noble
My Life in Pink and Green by Lisa Greenwald
Amusingly, this book was my choice for my new book club (which consists of me and one other person.) I say amusingly because it is a very young YA and how weird that I didn’t even realize it’s YA! I chose it because it was on my to-read list as it turns out that the author is the daughter of the college roommate of the woman I used to nanny for in college.
Melissa and I agreed that if we were in sixth grade we would adore this book and admire the main character and want to be like her. Read the rest of this entry »
Nation by Terry Pratchett
This was another 2009 Printz Honor recipient, which is why I read it. I am not a huge Pratchett fan, like Paul, though I did enjoy watching the Hogfather movie with Paul. This is not a Discworld novel, though. I’ll first say-I loved it! I was telling Paul last night that the more I think about this book, the greater I think it is. It was a really powerful blend of humor, coming of age, what it is to “become a man”, what makes a nation, the conflicts between science and reason and superstition, myth, and tradition, how people communicate, and civilization versus savages all wrapped up in a great story of survival and adventure. Paul’s response was that that is what he expects from a Terry Pratchett novel, so he was not as blown away by it as I was. If that is the case, then I need to go read some more, because I really thought this was so well written + a great story. Read the rest of this entry »
Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Bates by E. Lockhard
This is a 2009 Printz Honor recipient AND it is set in a boarding school, and yet it took me this long to get around to reading it. I had actually started it way last year and didn’t get into it and stopped. Happily this time I got into it more easily (which just goes to show that sometimes it’s not the book, it’s you and your circumstances) and was able to enjoy all the boarding school shenanigans I expected:
Sneaking out to meet a boy? Check
Sneaking out to drink in an unusual location? Check
Scenes set in the dining hall? Check
Details of chapel and unusual electives not offered at normal schools? Check
Details of weird school traditions, often involving statues/portraits? Check
Pranks? Check, check, and check! Read the rest of this entry »
Killer Keepsakes by Jane Cleland
I read about this book over at Vintage Cookbooks, (Thanks, Amy!) where the author did a guest blog post. I don’t often read mysteries, but when I do I’m always reminded that I rather like them. As I had a lull in reading at the time I read the post and then had Paul bring this home right away for me. I really enjoyed it and am wondering if I’ve actually read the first in the series? I have to admit there are a lot of antiquing mysteries so I may have it confused with a few others I’ve read. What I really liked about this book was the detail about running an antique business/auction house. I wonder if other librarians had the same reaction to it that I did-which is that I was so impressed by the librarian research that the antiques people did to try to discover provenance (or, you know, clues to find a killer.) It was all so neatly tied together. Read the rest of this entry »
The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
For anyone who didn’t follow this big book news this year, Gaiman was the 2009 Newbery Award for this lovely gem of a book. I like Neil Gaiman, though I’m not of his adoring followers. I thought Coraline was great, was charmed by Stardust, but I never read Sandman or some of his other things. So I think I’m being completely objective when I say… I loved this! What a great book! A very unusual choice (I think) for the Newbery, but I applaud the committee for selecting it because it is a standout. The more I think about it, the more things I liked about the book. Read the rest of this entry »
Everyone is Beautiful by Katherine Center
I just finished this this afternoon and I really liked it. I read it very quickly and found it super satisfying (especially because there was a very satisfying detailed epilogue–I love epilogues, love them!) This may be the truest book I’ve ever read that captures what it’s like staying at home with young children. I think what I liked so much about it was that it wasn’t an over-the-top portrayal, it wasn’t whiny, and it wasn’t like a “mommy blog” of crazy hijinks. It felt normal to me, though I only have two children, not three in a 5 year span. (Who still thinks you can’t get pregnant when nursing? Who? I couldn’t believe the main character was twice surprised by becoming pregnant.) Read the rest of this entry »
The Explosionist
I am fresh off finishing this book just an hour ago and the main thought still in my head is, “Why can’t anyone just write a single book anymore? Is 400 pages really not enough to tell your story in?” I was so caught up in this but suddenly it hit me two pages from the end–”huh, there’s no way everything is getting wrapped up in 2 pages, dammit! this is being set up as a the first in a series/trilogy” It’s just maddening. I felt the same way about Hunger Games. OK, enough of the rant, because this was a super and imaginative novel. A words about how I acquired this book–the other day I found myself with nothing to read (which is foolish I realized because I have stacks of “to be read” books in the house and I literally just forgot about them) and I asked Paul to go ahead and surprise me and just bring something home. He brought me this and Shift (which I’m about 2/3 of the way through and it’s also awesome.) I looked at the cover of The Explosionist and said “Is this set in a boarding school?” and sure enough it was. Read the rest of this entry »
Free Comic Book Day
Hey comic book lovers!
This Saturday, May 2, is Free Comic Book Day. Head out to your local comic store and pick up some freebies! Not a comic book lover? Why not take this opportunity to go see what gooes your local comic store has? Shop owners are often great at directing you to something that is just right for you and they have a wealth of knowledge about the variety of comics there are.
Little House on the Prairie from A to Z by Patrick Loubatiere
I’m a little unclear on where this book came from. Paul brought it home and it may have come with the new Little House dvds. It’s just a little booklet, definitely not “unauthorized” as it’s almost a tad fawning. In any event, I loved it. I have seen every episode of Little House many times (I’d venture to guess that anyone my age in my tri-state area remembers that it was on every day at 5pm on channel 11 (Pix…Pix…Pix…) ) and I truly loved the show. This little book was enjoyable because it tells what happeend to everyone after the show. W ho would have guessed that Lucy Lee Flippin (Eliza Jane) was in the movie Flashdance? or that Karen Grassle (Ma) is an esteemed actress in theater?
It was a nice trip down memory lane and made me look forward to someday watching these shows with my kids. It also made me feel very wholesome.
