King George: What was his problem?

1 Comment / 2009, Books in Bed, Children's Literature, Cybil Challenge, Favorites, Non-Fiction /

I stayed up til midnight last night to finish King George: What was his problem?. Please do not take this to mean it is the best book ever. It’s simply a piece of my childhood rearing its ugly head and I could not help it. Blame my father.

This is what the first history textbooks should look like. Too many kids hate history because it’s boring. History is not boring. Should not be boring. If you can’t make it un-boring with the textbooks you have, then ditch them and use a book like this instead. Or call my dad.

He’ll drive you around to every battleground in the United States and force you to listen to everything he knows about THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR (it’s bolded for a reason) and you will hate it and you will be bored but not nearly as bored as trying to read a stupid dry text book. And when you’re an adult who no longer has to think about Ft Ticonderoga or who was to blame for the whole Benedict Arnold fiasco (Gates, I’m looking at you) you will find yourself happily devouring a fun book about THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR and it will be your father’s fault.

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A Curse Dark as Gold

2 Comments / 2009, Books in Bed, Children's Literature, Cybil Challenge, Sci Fi and Fantasy, Young Adult /

I loved A Curse Dark as Gold more than I love Rumpelstiltskin or any other similar story. I loved the characters. I loved the ending. Yes, I loved the ending – can you believe it? I was afraid I’d hate the ending, particularly when I was down to the last 50 pages and was loving it so much. I just knew something was going to happen to ruin it. But nope, excellent. All the way through.

Great Cybil selection!

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The Crowning Glory of Calla Lily Ponder

2009, Books in Bed, Fiction, Women /

Well, it’s no Ya-Ya Sisterhood but it’s not bad. At least not until you hit the last chapter. And then it was just annoying enough to make me regret reading The Crowning Glory of Calla Lily Ponder.

I hate it when authors do that. Was it really necessary? Really, Rebecca Wells, was it? I don’t think it was. Ruining a perfectly good book like that? Tsk tsk.

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A Homemade Life

1 Comment / 2009, Books in Bed, Non-Fiction, Women /

Not all blogs should become books. Molly Wizenberg’s Orangette is not one of those blogs. Her blog, which then became the book A Homemade Life was fabulous. And remember, I’m no foodie.

That’s really why I think it was a great book, it can speak to everyone. There’s a little something for everyone. And the stories, often about food and cooking and recipes are not a turn off to those of us who don’t “get” the whole food thing. Because we do get the relationships thing.

Wizenberg does the relationship story just as well as she does the food story. And, because this is so, I would like to try a half dozen of those recipes. That’s saying something.

* I would like to note that I do not know Molly. I am not a long time Orangette fan. I’ve read it before, a few times, but it has never been in my feedreader. I have no personal connection to the woman or her blog that colors how I felt about the book. (Odd since most blog to books that I read, I read because I do have a connection to the author.)

* Also, if you live in Seattle or are visiting, I’d recommend you check out Delancey. I would, if I lived there (or was going for a visit.)

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Three Cybils that I didn’t love

2 Comments / 2009, Books in Bed, Children's Literature, Cybil Challenge, Non-Fiction, Young Adult /

The search is on for this year’s Cybils judges and this sent me into a bit of a panic. New judges and I haven’t finished last year’s winners yet? Ugh. So, I’m on a mission to get these finished asap. As sassymonkey smartly reminded me mid-freakout, I’m almost finished.

I finished 3 middle grade/YA non-fiction this weekend and I didn’t love any of them.

Swords was the most disappointing because I was really looking forward to it. It wasn’t horrible, I just wanted more than I got.

I was pretty bored by Lincoln Through the Lens but I expected to be bored so that’s ok.

I enjoyed We Are the Ship the most out of the three. I have a fondness for Negro League Baseball stories because the men behind the teams were brilliant and those stories aren’t told often enough. The athletes were fantastic but it’s the owners and managers who I’m more interested in. I got some of those stories in this book, and I appreciate that.

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The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie

2009, Books in Bed, Favorites, Fiction, Mystery, Young Adult /

Flavia is my new favorite girl character! (Which leads me to the question, why isn’t this listed as a YA book?)

The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie appeared on my reserve list thanks to someone on the BlogHer Book Club Group. I can’t remember who exactly mentioned it but someone did. It sounded good, so I reserved it.

I didn’t expect it to be quite this good, particularly since it’s a British book and I’m not a huge fan of the British mystery. Flavia just rocks and her sisters are pretty fascinating as well.

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The Angel’s Game

1 Comment / 2009, Books in Bed, Favorites, Fiction /

I just came home from the library, where I paid a 70 cent fine for The Angel’s Game. It was well worth it (and I do apologize to anyone in my library system who was waiting for me to return the book. I trust you’ll understand, once you read the first page. Or that you already understand because you have read The Shadow of the Wind.)

As an aside, mom… I’d love a copy of The Angel’s Game for my birthday. I know. I’ve read it. But it’s a book that needs to be OWNED. Just looking across the room at The Shadow of the Wind and knowing I can pick it up and read a line or two is… well, it’s important. I’d do the same thing with The Angel’s Game.

And OMG, I just read the Author’s Note on Amazon… there will be four! FOUR! Must own all four. (And hmmm has anyone ever thought about turning these into movies? I know those of us who love the books would probably not love the movies but… there’s potential there, don’t you think? And I think Zafon should make a millions of dollars, without having to sell his soul, and movie sales might help that.)

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