2013

Grandparents Illinois Style

TW spotted Grandparents Illinois Style when we were at the Brookfield Zoo with JMP (the first time) — I went right home and ordered it. (Crazy, I know.)

It’s a nice book, particularly if you need inspiration for things to do with your grandchild… I don’t really need any inspiration but I still had fun reading it. (I do want to quibble about putting the Kohls Children’s Museum in the same category with the Children’s Museum that’s at the Navy Pier — they are not the same thing and they are not suitable for the same ages… younger kids will like Kohls a lot more than older ones.)

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Deadline

It took me pretty much a full month to read Deadline and JMP is pretty much the only thing that could have caused that to happen because I love this series. Love, love, love.

I was afraid I wasn’t going to love this one, after Georgia’s death … even though I knew what was going to happen. Not because I saw a spoiler I just KNEW it.

And then last night, when I finished Deadline at 11:45pm I really wanted nothing more than to stay up all night and read the next (last! wah!) book in the trilogy.

The ending was exactly where the ending needed to be to entice you into the third book.

Ohhh boy. It’s something else when the zombies aren’t really the baddest of the bad guys…

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Tons of Children’s Fiction, Some are Cybils

Pretty much the only thing I had the energy to read while JMP was here were picture books — and boy we read a lot of those. I’m not sure this is the complete list (plus the ones I already blogged, a couple of weeks ago) but it’s a start. I’ll figure out the rest… later.

From the Usborne touchy – feely series, two books that JMP loved —  Diggers and Dinosaurs (that’s not one book title, that’s two books.) He loved them so much that I’m tempted to break my no Usborne books rule and buy the entire touchy feely series.

Hamsters Holding Hands came from the library and was an impulse check out on my part. I thought the hamsters might look enough like prairie dogs to interest him. He liked it but not that much.

Hippopposites is the most fascinating children’s picture book EVER. I’m ordering a copy of this one and you should, too.

The Pigeon Has Feelings Too — oy. I’m kind of anti-Mo Willems, generally speaking but I figured one pigeon book wouldn’t kill us. It didn’t.

Harry the Dirty Dog was one of my favorites when I was a kid and was one of my kids’ favorites. JMP likes it but he doesn’t love it (yet).

We bought Farts in the Wild from some bookstore or toy store long, long ago — and we’ve been holding it here until JMP is old enough for it. He’s not yet but our friend Emma who will be three in December loved, loved, loved it and JMP was fascinated by it, too.  It’s a great book.

TexasEbeth sent us “Who Flung Dung” and then we spent the next three weeks yelling “WHO FLUNG DUNG” and pushing buttons on the fart book I mentioned above. Hahaha. Want to know what to buy for a pre-schooler or kindergartener? Who Flung Dung and Farts in the Wild. HUGE WIN for the whole family.

Extra Yarn is a book from the Cybils Shortlist. I didn’t think JMP would like this one but he did. He sat all of the way through it without too much wiggling or trying to flip too quickly through the pages. I thought it was pretty cute, too.

Infinity and Me is a Cybils Shortlister and I loved it. JMP, not so much. Math is hard and too much for a 16 month old. We might try this one again next summer when we can really talk about Infinity.

Chloe and the Lion is a Cybils Shortlister and it caused me to roll my eyes. JMP liked the lion but that was pretty much it.

One Special Day is another Cybils book and it made me go awwwwww and then it made JMP’s mom say “maybe I should have another baby”. JMP didn’t love it or hate it. We’ll try it again if/when he becomes a big brother.

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Maisie Dobbs: Pardonable Lies

Book three, Pardonable Lies was not my favorite Maisie Dobbs and not just because the narrator changed between book two and three (we’re doing this series on audio, now.)

Maisie was… not herself, which is probably as it should be but it made for a less fun adventure and a more serious, thoughtful story. I want the fun adventure with only a little bit of serious and thoughtfulness.

I also flipped from #TeamDean to #TeamInspector, Andrew Dean bugged me a lot in this one.

On to book four!

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Reading in August

A so-so month, all things considered and it sure could have been worse.

I read a 16 books (thank goodness for children’s fiction!)

2 were audio.

6 were for the Cybils challenge.

2 were non-fiction.

2 were YA.

4 were children’s fiction.

And, still nothing from my own stacks. Gah.

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4 Cybils, 3 JMP Approved

Johnny Mac Pippin and I started putting a dent in the stack of picture books from the Cybils shortlist. He liked three of the four we read today.

Black Dog was his favorite — probably because he likes dogs and I said the word dog a lot, so even when he couldn’t see the dog (or couldn’t tell that great big thing was a dog) he knew this was about dogs. Fun story.

Creepy Carrots was amusing for me and JMP liked it, too — though probably because I used some weird voices to make the carrots creepy.

A Home For Bird was cute. He liked this one too, though I doubt he’s ever seen a cuckoo clock. He did enjoy saying Cuckoo, Cuckoo over and over at the end.

The book he didn’t enjoy was Balloons Over Broadway. We didn’t finish that one together. The illustrations weren’t enough to keep his attention and the story was beyond him. Older kids, particularly those who have seen the Macy’s parade will probably like this a whole lot more than JMP did.

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Written in Red

Thatwoman is a pain in the ass.

She goes on and on about how she likes a book but when I pick it up to read it she says “Oh, that was really good but I don’t know why you’re reading it.” Like I’m deficient in some way? Like I NEVER like the books or kind of books she likes? Like… I don’t even know. It’s like the GD Kite Runner all the damn time around here, (long story, don’t ask.)

So yea, I picked up Written in Red and see above… and then I pretty much read it non-stop until I was finished. Which is saying something since after TW went all Kite Runner on me (see above) I looked at some really bad reviews of this book and I was nervous.

Damn TW and damn the people and their DNF mean reviews.

Because I really enjoyed Written in Red. I liked The Others. And, I liked the humans, too. This was not the typical werewolf/vampire book. Not typical at all. There were PONIES. Very powerful ponies. I liked them. I liked everything about the book. Even the annoying Simon.

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The Passion of the Purple Plumeria

The Passion of the Purple Plumeria is my favorite of all the Pink Carnation books — that’s saying something.

I can also safely say that I’ve never really liked Jane.

And, I’ve always loved Miss Gwen.

I often find the 21st century pieces a little slow and just want them to get on with it or go away — in this book, I loved the entire storyline. I want that book!

Also, if you read this — don’t miss the interviews in the back of the book (I know I skip those sometimes, so don’t!)

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