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Cybil’s Children’s Non-Fiction (The Last Two)

1 Comment / 2010, Books in Bed, Children's Literature, Cybil Challenge, Favorites, Non-Fiction /

I went on a Cybil’s binge last night. It’s easy when my binge comes from the children’s category. Quick, easy reads that are usually a lot of fun or pretty interesting. Last night, they were more interesting than fun.

The last two books from the Children’s Non-Fiction short list were The Frog Scientist and Marching For Freedom.

The Frog Scientist was interesting but I can’t see any of my kids reading this one for fun – or just because they were interested in frogs. It’s more like a resource for a paper about frogs or environmental issues. And as a resource for such a paper, it’s a great one. The photos are good. The description of the experiment taking place was excellent. Any kid who needs a research topic ought to consider the plight of the frog and the effects of pesticides on frogs. Fascinating, really.  (And way to go Tyrone! A fellow South Carolinian! Nice to see an African American scientist with a really diverse group of research assistants. For that alone, this book ought to be handed to every kid to peruse.)

I wasn’t prepared to really enjoy Marching for Freedom. I’ve read a whole slew of books about African Americans and their fight for the vote, Rosa Parks, MLK, etc…. this one was completely different. OK not completely different but because it really focused on the children and teenagers who played a huge role in the fight for the right to vote, it was a different story. Selma and the march to Montgomery – completely different look when you’re thinking about just how many children CHOSE to march. That’s a story that just hasn’t been told before – and one that we should be telling our kids about. Kids can do great things and make huge contributions – and they should. It’s a scary story – 10 year olds and 12 year olds and 14 year olds being jailed and beaten, but it’s important.  Those kids knew that this was something worth standing up for.  

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Henrietta Lacks

1 Comment / 2010, Books in Bed, Favorites, Non-Fiction /

Awhile back, Sassymonkey told me that everyone was going to be reading The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks. I admit, I only half believed her. It is non-fiction, after all. And a story about science and an African American family – not really mainstream reading, unfortunately. I don’t know if Sassymonkey is right and everyone is reading it. I do know my mother started reading it a few weeks ago. And I do know that everyone SHOULD read this book.

It’s a story that pissed me the hell off.

Everyone should know Henrietta Lacks’ name and everyone should know what happened to her, to her cells, and to her family.

Did I mention this pisses me off? I’d like to see Skootz do a book about  “The Hospital for the Negro Insane of Maryland” next. (Or maybe someone has already written this one and I just haven’t stumbled across it? I’m off to look.)

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Hello Kitty Must Die

1 Comment / 2010, Books in Bed, Favorites, Fiction, Women /

I love the “Just Returned” shelf of the library. I always find interesting things there. Things like a book with a hot pink cover called Hello Kitty Must Die. If you like Dexter, you’re going to like this book. You might even like this book more than you like Dexter. (I know, I’m scaring you now aren’t I?)

Try it. Trust me. I take my serial killer books very seriously.

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Two for the Road

2010, Books in Bed, cookbooks, Favorites, Non-Fiction /

I’m a big fan of “Roadfood” and if I liked food in general just a little bit more… and also travel just a little bit more than that… I’d be envious of Jane and Michael Stern. What better job than to drive across the country, eating at diners and truck stops and hole in the wall restaurants? Thanks to Two for the Road, I can just convince TW to make some of these foods at home and live laugh vicariously through the Sterns’.

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Syren

2 Comments / 2010, Books in Bed, Children's Literature, Favorites, From the Stacks Challenge, Sci Fi and Fantasy /

I received a review copy of Syren AGES ago and I put off reading it because I’d fallen behind on the Septimus Heap series and I thought I’d catch up and then read it. (TW and Prince J both read it ages ago and liked it a good bit…) I realized in January that I was never going to catch up with the series but I still wanted to read Syren so I read some reviews and blog posts for the books I’d missed and then started Syren. The first chapter or two left me confused because, duh I’d missed a lot, but by the fifth chapter I was hooked and happily reading. In fact I wanted to read it all of the way through without putting it down.

This really is a terrific middle grade series. In some ways, I like it better than Harry Potter (blasphemy, right?)

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Goth Girl Rising

2010, Books in Bed, Favorites, Fiction, Queer, Young Adult /

TW was right, Goth Girl writing letters to Neil Gaiman was a nice touch. Without the letters, I don’t think I’d have enjoyed Goth Girl Rising nearly as much. The poetry pages were a nice touch, as well – slowly adding stanzas until we get to the end. Lyga does a nice job of building us up and then bringing us back down safely – or as safely as you can get when you’re dealing with Kyra.

Great sequel.

Normally I want a series I like to continue but I think in this case, Lyga should call it finished.

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Julie and Julia

2 Comments / 2010, Books in Bed, cookbooks, Favorites, Non-Fiction, Women /

It’s weird, I really didn’t have any desire to read Julie and Julia. I don’t know why, the book has everything I like – food blogger, grand ideas, Julia freaking Child. So why didn’t I want to read it? I don’t know, it was probably the hype that turned me off. I only read it because a) I saw it on the shelf, in large print, and thought TW’s mom would like it b) TW’s mom said it was “weird” and it didn’t make sense to her that someone would do such a project c) TW’s mother raised TW who would CERTAINLY think up something like this – and carry it through.

I couldn’t NOT read it after hearing TW’s mom talk about it.

Turns out this was a horrible book for TW’s mom. She doesn’t do the F word and lord, the F word is all over the book. I think had this not been the case, she’d have probably had a different reaction. (TW’s mom would totally be one of those “bleaders” who gave Julie shit for her language.)

I, on the otherhand, loved every word of it. Every single word. Well the killing of the lobsters made me kind of queasy but that’s to be expected. Lots of the recipes made me queasy – that’s a lot of mess, a lot of work, a lot of crazy food that I really do not want to eat. But… the project… pure brilliance. And the writing, fun. Fun, fun, fun.

I’m so glad I read it. (I’m sorry though to hear that Robert, the dog Julie and Eric adopted post-project, passed away a couple of months ago. I was irrationally sad about that when I saw it on her blog last night.)

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The Double Comfort Safari Club

2010, Audiobooks, Books in Bed, Favorites, Fiction, Women /

We always listen to the Ladies #1 Detective Agency books on audio. It’s a tradition. Thankfully, my reserved copy arrived really quickly and we didn’t have to wait long. (Oddly, the day I picked up the reserve copy in audio, I saw a large print copy just sitting on the shelf – that would never have happened at my old library! I grabbed it for TW’s mom – she’s not a fan, apparently…)

We enjoyed The Double Comfort Safari Club, as expected. There wasn’t enough storyline from the apprentices, hopefully the next one will include them a wee bit more. Violet was back and wreaking havoc, of course. Grace got a new pair of shoes. And in the end everything was as it should be in Botswana.

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