Favorites

The Endangered Species Road Trip

The Brookfield Zoo has some great books in their gift shops. TW spotted The Endangered Species Road Trip in one of them and I reserved it at the library. It was excellent. I read the entire thing yesterday.

Environmentalist books can be… preachy. And sometimes dry. And also a little boring. This one was none of those things. It was interesting and amusing and it made me think about what I’d like to see on my own endangered species road trip, someday.

The Endangered Species Road Trip Read More »

Backtracking Book Reviews

I didn’t do a very good job of talking about most of the books I read during the #readathon, so I’m backtracking a bit.

Astronaut Wives Club — I liked it but it wasn’t nearly as interesting as I’d hoped. I see now why someone (Julie?) said she didn’t really like it very much. It was vague where I wanted more detail. I’m glad I read it but I wish it had been better.

Jeanette Winterson’s The Daylight Gate was really good — witchery popery popery witchery, it’s really much the same when you think about it, right?

Troubled Daughters, Twisted Wives — a book of short stories, very good short stories. That’s saying something since I’m not really a fan of short story compilations.

Lake Geneva: Life At the Water’s Edge was a really nice coffee table type book. Great photos. Interesting. Makes me a little sad that we cancelled our mini vacation in November. We’ll do it in the spring, instead, and I’m looking forward to it now more than ever.

Day Trips From Chicago was nothing special. I didn’t find anything unusual or extra interesting. Not a bad book of day trips it was just a little vanilla.

A Short History of Myth, I think I did write about this one a little yesterday. It was ok. Dry, as you’d expect. Something to think about (or to try not to think about?) as I read the other books in the Myth series in the months ahead.

Backtracking Book Reviews Read More »

The Goddess Chronicle

I ran to the library one morning, by myself, to pick up some holds and pluck some books off of the shelf for TW because she was OUT of BOOKS. The Goddess Chronicle was one of those books. I really thought she’d probably already read it. But she hadn’t — thank goodness.

It was a good pick because not only is it a great feminist creation story, we discovered it’s part of a series so now we have another handful of books to look forward to reading.

The Goddess Chronicle Read More »

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…

Deadline Read More »

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.

Tons of Children’s Fiction, Some are Cybils Read More »

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.

Written in Red Read More »

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!)

The Passion of the Purple Plumeria Read More »