Book Talk

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Peanut’s Picks: DEAR ZOO

Peanut here, back with another book recommendation for the toddling-and-under set.  Today I want to talk about a book that is very close to my little baby heart, Dear Zoo.

Dear Zoo: A Lift-the-Flap Book by Rod…Dear Zoo, by Rod Campbell, is a very wonderful book because it supports the notion that all children should have puppies.  Oh, darn, I just gave away the ending.  Anyway, the story goes like this: this super intelligent, smart and resourceful child writes to the zoo to ask for a pet.  Zoo sends an elephant, but elephant is obviously too big, so kid sends him back.  Kid is clearly very discerning and smart and knows not to take the first offer.  (My mommy says you should never take the first offer.  I don’t know what that means because I’m only 9 1/2 pounds, but it sounds good.)  Zoo then sends a giraffe, then lion, snake, monkey… kid sends them all back for one reason or another.  Until zoo sends a puppy.  Kid keeps the puppy.

I think the protagonist of this book is well worth admiring and emulating.  I mean, she (this has to be a girl, right?) wants a pet.  I’m sure her parents were super mean and said no.  She has my sympathies here.  I don’t have any pets.  Mommy says she already has a little animal in the house who eats constantly and poops everywhere.  Who do you think she could be talking about?  My money’s on Daddy.  Anyway, I really liked this book because I learned that if my parents won’t let me have a pet, the zoo will.  HA HA MOMMY YOU LOSE.

Lesson for parents: Give me a puppy, because if you don’t, I will write to the zoo and they will send me something bigger.

Mommy says I should tell you to buy the book here.  This isn’t an affiliate link because Mommy is too sleep-deprived to join any programs.

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Reading Round-Up: December 2012

Reading is my oldest and favorite hobby.  I literally can’t remember a time in my life when I didn’t love to curl up with a good book.  Here are my reads for December, 2012…

Village Affairs, by Miss Read (Fairacre #13) – Poor Miss Read goes through the ringer in this Fairacre installment.  Early on in the book, she learns of rumors that Fairacre School may be closing, and the children bussed to nearby Beech Green.  These rumors pop up occasionally but seem to have more force this time.  Soon enough, the villagers are up in arms about the idea of their beloved school closing and their cherished teacher being turned out of her home!  Meanwhile, school cleaner Mrs Pringle is on a diet (bad news for everyone) and her niece Minnie Pringle is going through marital difficulties.  To help Minnie out, Miss Read offers her an afternoon’s cleaning once a week, but immediately regrets the offer – as anyone who has journeyed through Fairacre knows, Minnie is more akin to a tornado than a cleaning lady.  How will Miss Read cope with all the stress?  With her trademark wit and good humor, of course!

The Kalahari Typing School for Men, by Alexander McCall Smith (No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency #4) – I was into this series awhile back and then got sucked into Maisie Dobbs, and apparently I can only read one mystery series at a time, because Mma Ramotswe & co. got thrown aside in favor of Maisie and Billy.  But since finishing the Maisie series (or all the books that have been written in the series thus far) I have wanted to get back into this one and finally grabbed the next two installments during a library run.  Precious Ramotswe is back and in good form here.  As usual, Mma Ramotswe has many things on her mind – a new detective has set up a competing agency, touting his manliness as an essential ingredient in private investigations, Mma Makutsi is lonely and needs a man, and a new client has asked Mma Ramotswe to help him right some old wrongs.  One thing is for sure – Mma Ramotswe will sort out these messes as she always does, gracefully and with good humor.

The Full Cupboard of Life, by Alexander McCall Smith (No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency #5) – Back to Botswana for the fifth No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency book, and Precious Ramotswe is as busy as ever.  Between investigating the suitors of a wealthy client and trying to help Mr. J.L.B. Matekoni get out of the latest trap set for him by Mma Potokwame, Mistress of the Orphan Farm (this time, a parachute jump for charity), Mma Ramotswe has her hands full.  But she has more than just work and the usual hijinks on her mind.  When will she ever become Mrs. J.L.B. Matekoni???  I love these novels, so full of sweetness and joy.

Bring Up the Bodies, by Hilary Mantel (Wolf Hall #2) – A lawyer’s work is never done, is it?  Poor Thomas Cromwell.  In Wolf Hall, the first installment in a planned trilogy, Cromwell was working tirelessly to oust Katherine of Aragon and insert Anne Boleyn.  Now it’s three years later.  Anne has failed to produce a son and – a worse offense – she’s gotten skinny and shrewish.  And Henry has noticed a pretty, polite, and most important of all, quiet maiden named Jane Seymour.  Now Cromwell is again tasked with ousting a queen and placing a new family in power.  Boleyns out, Seymours in.  Like its predecessor, Bring Up the Bodies was meticulously researched, fastidiously written and monumentally engaging, and like its predecessor, it won the Man Booker Prize.  And well deserved it.  The Wolf Hall novels are going to be among the highlights of my reading year.

Village Christmas, by Miss Read (Fairacre #6) – Despite my best efforts to read in order, I’m a little off with the Fairacre books and am reading all three Christmas novels this month.  This is a short one, more of a novella, and Miss Read doesn’t even appear.  Instead, it focuses on the elderly Waters sisters and how they come to show Christmas goodwill to their new neighbors.  The Emery family are Londoners, with habits the Fairacre folk consider odd (wearing funny clothes, being excessively friendly, and the like), but when Mrs Emery goes into labor on Christmas morning, Mary and Margaret put aside their plans for a quiet holiday and learn a lesson about goodwill and loving their neighbors as themselves in the process.  Sweet holiday read.

The Christmas Mouse, by Miss Read (Fairacre #10) – Hmmm.  This was the first Miss Read book that I was decidedly cool on.  The book focuses on the Benson family near Caxley, one memorable Christmas Eve.  Mrs Benson and her widowed daughter Mary are preparing Christmas for Mary’s two young daughters when Mrs Benson discovers a mouse in her room.  She has a horror of mice and exiles herself to the parlor while Mary sets a trap.  That night after Mary has gone to bed, Mrs Benson receives another unexpected visitor – a young boy who has run away from his foster family.  If little Stephen expected tea and sympathy, he presented himself at the wrong house.  Instead, he gets bread and milk and a lecture on ingratitude, and is sent packing (to walk three miles in the middle of the night on Christmas Eve) as soon as the rain stops.  To me it seemed clear that he was yearning to feel truly part of a family and that he felt himself an outsider.  If he’d shown up at my door, he’d have gotten hugs, not lectures.

No Holly for Miss Quinn, by Miss Read (Fairacre #12) – Muuuuuuuuuch better!  Here was a Scrooge-like character who actually changes!  The introverted, solitude-loving Miss Quinn is planning a quiet Christmas holiday filled with decorating when she is suddenly pressed into sisterly service, having been called upon to watch over her brother’s three children while their mother is hospitalized.  Reluctant and disappointed at first, Miss Quinn throws herself into aunt duties and allows her two irrepressible nieces to sweep her along a tide of family fun and holiday joy, resulting in a thawing of Miss Quinn’s icy demeanor and a rejuvenated relationship with her brother.  Loved.

Skios, by Michael Frayn – You could tell the author is a playwright.  Not since Shakespeare have I read a farce in which so many people were confused about one another’s identities, or in which so much general hilarity resulted.  The cool, efficient Nikki Hook is preparing for the keynote speech at a cultural organization she effectively runs on the island of Skios, and is pleasantly suprised to find that the speaker isn’t the paunchy, balding, pompous man she expected but rather a rakish charmer.  Mere miles away, Nikki’s friend Georgie is preparing to cheat on her boyfriend with a rakish charmer and instead finds a paunchy, balding, pompous man who is supposed to be giving the keynote speech for a cultural organization… can you say oopsie?  I was laughing from beginning to end.

A Christmas Memory, One Christmas and The Thanksgiving Visitor, by Truman Capote – I’ve read In Cold Blood (four times) but never picked up any of Capote’s other works, so I wasn’t sure exactly what to expect from these.  What I found were sweet, poignant semi-autobiographical tales of the holiday memories of Buddy, a young Alabama boy modeled on Capote.  In A Christmas Memory (my favorite of the bunch), Buddy and his best friend, his elderly cousin Miss Sook, make fruitcakes and Buddy ruminates on his love for Miss Sook.  In One Christmas, Buddy is shipped off to New Orleans to spend Christmas with his estranged father and suffers the loss of several of his childish illusions.  Finally, in The Thanksgiving Visitor, Miss Sook teaches Buddy an important lesson about friendship and forgiveness when she invites the school bully to take part in their holiday celebrations.  I got through this slender volume in a day and loved every minute.

The White Robin, by Miss Read (Fairacre #14) –  Another slim volume took me back to Fairacre, which has suddenly been graced with the presence of an albino robin.  The town is beside itself with excitement and the local ornithologist is much in demand.  But the white robin comes to an untimely end and the perpetrator is in the townsfolk’s midst.  Can they forgive and move on?  This one was the work of a day, and much of it read out loud to Peanut.  I liked the sweet, simple story of understanding and forgiveness, and the satisfying ending.

In the Company of Cheerful Ladies, by Alexander McCall Smith (No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency #6) – Mma Ramotswe is always busy, but in this installment of the No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency books, she has a real problem on her hands.  Right when Mma Ramotswe should be settling in to enjoy life with her kind new husband, Mr. J.L.B. Matekoni, and their two adopted children, her first husband Note Makoti comes back and threatens to reveal a damaging secret from Mma Ramotswe’s past unless she pays him off.  Oh, and there’s more.  One of the apprentices has run away, the garage has a new employee with a past, Mma Makutsi has begun taking dance lessons, someone broke into Mma Ramotswe’s house and hid under the bed until he was almost crushed by her traditional build, and a mysterious pumpkin has appeared in her garden.  What is a private detective to do?  I think this was my favorite so far from this series.  Some real drama – Note is a bad, bad, evil person – kept me turning pages until the characters wrapped up one of their nice, neat endings.  This series gets better and better!

Betsy Was A Junior, by Maud Hart Lovelace (Betsy-Tacy #7) – Back to the Betsy-Tacy books.  As is the pattern with the high school books, the first chapter finds Betsy making all kinds of resolutions and promising to be serious about her writing.  And of course it all goes haywire.  Betsy’s sister Julia goes off to college and comes home with tales of sororities, inspiring Betsy to start her own sorority at Deep Valley High, the Okto Deltas.  But the Okto Deltas have the effect of branding Betsy and her friends as snobs, causing them to be excluded from school events, and even threatening to break up the Crowd.  In the end Betsy learns that sisterhoods must grow – they can’t be forced.  This was a sweet read and I love getting lost in the escapades of Betsy and her Crowd, although I didn’t agree with the “sororities = bad” message.  (I’m proud to be a sorority girl; I had a wonderful sorority experience.  My Alpha Phi sisters are some of my closest friends to this day and I will never regret getting to know them in college, nor will I ever forget the visits, flowers, messages of support and even boxes of diapers that so many Alpha Phis sent when hubby and I were deep in the NICU trenches.  But I do agree that sororities in high school are a terrible idea – high school girls are far too catty and juvenile to be trusted with Greek letters.)

Betsy and Joe, by Maud Hart Lovelace (Betsy-Tacy #8) – Finally, finally, Betsy gets to “go with” Joe Willard.  In fact, Betsy has two admirers – Joe, who she likes romantically, and Tony, who she was once keen on but who now inspires only sisterly feelings.  Tony’s attentions soon threaten to drive a wedge between Joe and Betsy, and Betsy can’t seem to find her way out of the predicament.  (I suppose it’s because this story took place in 1909-10 that Betsy couldn’t simply say to Tony, straight up, “Look, I’m flattered but I have feelings for someone else.  Friends?”)  But at least Betsy is a bit more serious about school this year, and she even foregoes the Easter Week parties when she realizes she needs a break.  Growth!  The other characters are growing up, too.  Julia is off studying music in Germany, Tib exercises her persuasive abilities, and Tacy, who Betsy and Tib had speculated would wind up a spinster, turns out to not need any help at all in the matrimonial department.  The end of the book – which culminates in Betsy’s, Joe’s and the Crowd’s graduation from high school – is satisfying and heartwarming.

Taft 2012, by Jason Heller – I saw this on a book blog and knew immediately that I’d love it, and I was right.  The premise is this: William Howard Taft, President of the United States, disappears in early 1913, on the morning of Woodrow Wilson’s inauguration and his departure from the Oval Office.  Taft, a political Rip van Winkle, spends the next ninety-nine years hibernating under the grass of the Ellipse until he awakens in 2011 and soon finds himself running for President again, much to his dismay.  Taft 2012 was warm, witty, and packed quite a bit of common sense – worthy of Taft himself.  I’d vote for him!  Highly recommend.

Betsy and the Great World, by Maud Hart Lovelace (Betsy-Tacy #9) – I think that Betsy and the Great World was my favorite of the Betsy-Tacy books.  In this book, Betsy departs for a Grand Tour of sorts, to learn to live in the world and gather material for her writing.  She stops for extended periods in Munich (where she befriends three Germans of very different circumstances and encounters some German soldiers outside a bathroom; Venice (where she is courted by a handsome Italian architect who almost makes her forget her ex-love, Joe Willard); and London (where she finds herself a Crowd of Brits and witnesses the beginning of World War I).  Betsy returns from her tour amidst gathering storm clouds of war, but with a joyful new future to anticipate.  This read was sweet and fun, as all the Betsy-Tacy books are, but also a bit chilling as you watched the beginnings of a disastrous war through Betsy’s eyes.

Betsy’s Wedding, by Maud Hart Lovelace (Betsy-Tacy #10) – Betsy has returned from Europe to find her old love, Joe, waiting for her and prepared to rekindle their romance.  They are engaged quickly and married even more quickly, and Betsy plunges into her new life as a wife.  She discovers that she is good at cleaning and at budgeting, but not so much at cooking or matchmaking.  I loved reading about Betsy’s wifely learning curve – especially during the only episode where her relationship with Joe is really tested (he invites his Aunt Ruth to stay with them for an extended period of time and Betsy must come to terms with the idea of sharing her newlywed nest with the closest thing to a mother-in-law she has – she rises to the task with grace).  Although Betsy’s Wedding ended with a joyful celebration, there is darkness ahead for the Crowd and friends as the men go off to war.  But I do believe that Joe comes home and that Betsy gets her baby Bettina one day.  I wouldn’t have it any other way!

A good end to 2012 – snuggling and reading on the couch for long stretches of the day with my sweet Peanut curled up in my arms.  What could be better?  I loved most of this month’s reads.  Some No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency, some Fairacre, Bring Up the Bodies and some Betsy-Tacy, and more.  This was a happy month of reading.  Now to dreaming of pages to be turned in 2013…

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2012: A Year in Books

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When I was sixteen, I set a goal to read 50 books in a year.  They had to be books that I wasn’t reading anyway for a class assignment, books I’d never read before, and books that I would be proud to show to my favorite English teacher.  I kept a list all year and I recently came across it again – my mom saved it and slipped it into the back of my baby book, which she gave to me along with a blank one to fill in when Peanut was born.  Looking back over the list, it appears that I was on a major Agatha Christie kick that year.  But I also fit in Jane Eyre, Emma, Tess of the d’Urbervilles, Walden, Wuthering Heights and Anna Karenina and a handful of Eugene O’Neill plays.  I had a major “thing” for Eugene O’Neill in high school.  Oh, and sixteen-year-old Jac also found time to read a book on college applications and a bio of my favorite band, R.E.M.  (Some things really haven’t changed.)  Looking back at my 1998 book list, I remembered what fun it was to go over my reading at the end of the year.  In fact, I think I’ve done something of the sort most years since.

This year I’ve managed to squeeze in plenty of reading time, even with some busy times at work, not to mention pregnancy and a NICU journey and a newborn.  Reading has always been my escape and my leisure.  So here’s 2012, by the numbers.

In 2012, I read 98 books (82 fiction and 16 non-fiction), and a total of 31,491 pages.

Here’s a more detailed breakdown:

Download Your Pie Chart

Download Your Pie Chart

Of course, it wouldn’t be a proper reading wrap-up post if I didn’t tell you my favorites, would it?  Here, in no particular order, are my top ten favorite books read in 2012:

Wolf Hall, by Hilary Mantel – I loved this 2009 Man Booker winner, which focused on the trials and tribulations of Thomas Cromwell as he bends the law to allow Henry VIII to divorce Katherine of Aragon and marry Anne Boleyn.  Fascinating story (even though I knew how things ended, for Henry and Katherine and Anne, it was still interesting to read a version with Cromwell as the main character) and gorgeous prose.

Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World that Can’t Stop Talking, by Susan Cain – As someone who has always tried to overcome my introverted tendencies (berating myself for being boring when I wanted to stay home with a book instead of go out and party, and always, always trying too hard to be bubbly and chatty) I loved reading about “mah people.”  Susan Cain explains how American society came to embrace an “extrovert ideal” and how introverts can capitalize on their own personalities to succeed professionally.  Fascinating mix of social science and cheerleading for those of us who’d rather recharge with some alone time than in a crowd.

Freddy and Fredericka, by Mark Helprin – I laughed my way through this royal farce.  A spoof Charles and Di are sent to re-conquer the United States for Great Britain.  Traveling incognito across America, they learn to love one another.  Silly, sweet, and just what I wanted to read after long days in the NICU.

Shine Shine Shine, by Lydia Netzer – I was captivated by this tale of a marriage of two outsiders.  Sunny and Maxon bonded over being different.  But when Sunny became pregnant, she decided she didn’t want to be different anymore.  Now Maxon, an astronaut, is stranded on a broken-down rocket and Sunny must decide if she wants to abandon her quest for conformity and save her marriage.  But will she be too late?  Loved the writing and I was glued to the story.

The Hobbit, by J.R.R. Tolkien – I’d been meaning to get around to this one for quite some time, and I finally did.  I loved the sweet, fun story of Bilbo Baggins and how he goes from being a stay-at-home hobbit to an adventurer.  One of these days I might even get out to see the movie, although I doubt it will bring me quite as much joy as the book did.

A Good American, by Alex George – Oh, my goodness.  I can’t stop gushing about this gorgeous book.  The story of an immigrant family over several generations (and about a century), it has become my gold standard by which I measure all future family sagas.  I laughed and I cried and I tweeted the author to tell him how much I enjoyed his work (and he tweeted me back!).

The Snow Child, by Eowyn Ivey – I love when I read a book for the characters and get swept away by gorgeous prose.  The Snow Child was everything a book should be – as crystal clear and evocative as a photograph, emotional, gripping, and beautiful.  Just a stunning, stunning book all around.

11/22/63, by Stephen King – My first Stephen King novel was so much fun.  I couldn’t put it down; I loved the descriptions of life in the 1950s as Jake/George learned to navigate a new decade and love again after his divorce.  And time travel novels are my weakness, so I knew I’d be a fan.

The Mapping of Love and Death, by Jacqueline Winspear – I read all the Maisie Dobbs mysteries this year, and this one was my favorite.  Maisie is a lovable, if sometimes exasperating, heroine, and her cases are always fraught with emotion and danger.  The Mapping of Love and Death was, in my opinion, the best book out of a really remarkable series.

Bring Up The Bodies, by Hilary Mantel – It’s not cheating to name two books from a trilogy to my top-ten-bests, because Bring Up The Bodies ALSO won a Man Booker.  So if the Man Booker awards committee can double up on the Hilary Mantel, so can I, amirite?  In this installment, Cromwell finds himself undoing all his previous work (in a sense) – after spending all of Wolf Hall trying to install Anne Boleyn on the throne, he spends all of Bring Up The Bodies trying to dislodge her and sub in Jane Seymour.  Again, I knew how it would turn out, but loved seeing how the events unfolded from Cromwell’s perspective.

All in all, I’m happy – but not thrilled – with my reading in 2012.  I’d like to have read more classics (I counted the Fairacre books as classics – since I think they are – and they inflated my totals) and more literary fiction, and a little less general fiction.  I got very swept up in hyped new releases this year (explaining my excesses at the library) and I wish I had spent more time reading through my TBR and the books I already had on my shelves.  Had I done that, there’d have been more classics on the list, for sure, and more literary fiction too.  But I enjoyed my reading immensely in 2012, and I think that qualifies as a success.

How was your 2012 reading?  What are your goals for 2013 reading?  (I’ll be sharing mine next week.)

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2012 Book Superlatives

I had so much fun giving high school yearbook-style awards to my 2011 books that I thought it’d be a hoot to do a 2012 edition!  So here you have ’em, my 2012 Book Superlatives:

One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel…(Source)

Brainiest

My “smartest” book this year was One Hundred Years of Solitude, by Gabriel Garcia Marquez.  It’s definitely one of those “intellectual” books that people pretend to read to look smart at cocktail parties.  This one had been sitting on my TBR forever, but once I got around to finally reading it, I was blown away by the lovely prose and imagery.  Magical realism isn’t really my thing, but One Hundred Years of Solitude was beautiful.

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Best Looking: Young House Love, by Sherry and John Petersik

This idea book is chock full of eye candy!  Sherry and John of Young House Love fame share 243 never-before-seen projects (some big, some small) to give your home a spruce.  Everything is doable, even for DIY novices.  I can’t decide which project is my favorite… maybe the dresser gradient (I love ombre-style pieces).  Or the “stenciled” lace table runner, which looks ridiculously simple and which I am so totally going to do.  I spent a day flipping through the book and came away with tons of fantastic, simple ideas for personalizing my own space, and plenty of inspiration to get going and take on some home projects.

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Best Friends: The Betsy-Tacy Series, by Maud Hart Lovelace

Betsy, Tacy and Tib are best friends growing up in turn of the (last) century Minnesota.  From Betsy’s first meeting with Tacy, to the girls’ weddings and lives as married women, every moment is charming.  On the way they fall in love with the King of Spain, learn that different can be good when they visit Little Syria, create their own fun with a Crowd of friends in high school, and dream about boys and school success.  I loved reading about these friends’ lives in a simpler – but richer – time.

Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And…(Source)

Class Clown: Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns), by Mindy Kaling

Mindy is the slightly goofy, totally dorky BFF of my dreams.  This book explores memories of her childhood as a “timid chubster afraid of her own bike,” her college days and her breaking into the comedy scene, and adds musings on the exact perfect amount of fame, why Hollywood stylists hate size 8, and what type of men Mindy simply will not date.  No matter what the topic, Mindy had me in stitches.

Village School by Miss Read(Source)

Teacher’s Pet: The Chronicles of Faircare, by Miss Read

I might be cheating a bit here, but I’m naming an entire series (I haven’t finished it yet, but I’ve read the first fourteen books and I think that’s enough to get a feel for it).  Miss Read is the witty, wise, beloved head teacher of Fairacre School.  Her tales of life in a small English village in the 1950s are sweet without being saccharine, slyly funny, and even informative (not every book, but many, include commentary on rural education and socioeconomic issues of post-war England, but they’re presented in such a way that the reader never bogs down and hardly even notices she’s learning).

The Social Animal: The Hidden Sources of…(Source)

Biggest Nerd: The Social Animal, by David Brooks

I like David Brooks’ writing, even though our politics are pretty wildly divergent.  The Social Animal was a fascinating look at 21st-century human life from cradle to grave through two “composite human” characters, Harold and Erica.  While it occasionally got a bit technical, for the most part it was social science that read like a novel.

The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a…(Source)

Most Creative: The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making, by Catherynne M. Valente

The story of September, who is spirited off to Fairyland by a Green Wind, on the back of a Leopard, is full of charm and sweetness and creativity in abundance.  September believes that Fairyland will be a nice change from washing dishes while her mother is off at work, but soon finds that it is a troubled place under the thumb of an evil Marquess (nothing to be done; she has a hat).  This was a sweet, fun, extremely creative story.

The Partly Cloudy Patriot by Sarah Vowell(Source)

Most Opinionated: The Partly Cloudy Patriot, by Sarah Vowell

Sarah Vowell wins two years in a row!  With her essays on American history and culture, she makes learning – dare I say – FUN.  Last year I compared The Wordy Shipmates to that girl who always has her hand up in history class, but you should listen to her because she’s got good stuff to say.  The Partly Cloudy Patriot is much the same.

Shadow of Night by Deborah Harkness(Source)

Most Likely to End Up in Hollywood: Shadow of Night, by Deborah Harkness

It’s probably cheating, since I awarded this category to the first book in the All Souls Trilogy (A Discovery of Witches) last year, and this time I’m giving it to the second book in the trilogy.  But I still think this trilogy is going to get filmed eventually (after all, if Twilight was worthy…) and I maintain that Daniel Craig simply must play Matthew.

Shine Shine Shine by Lydia Netzer(Source)

Biggest Loner: Shine Shine Shine, by Lydia Netzer

Maxon and Sunny aren’t exactly loners, since they have each other.  But they’re both definitely the weird kids with big backpacks (much as Sunny tries not to be).  Still, get to know them – they’ll reward you with a beautiful love story that’s about how we are all different, and how we are the same.

Freddy and Fredericka by Mark Helprin(Source)

Cutest Couple: Freddy and Fredericka, by Mark Helprin

Prom King and Queen has to go to Mark Helprin’s royal couple, Frederick, Prince of Wales and Fredericka, Princess of Wales.  Freddy is stuffy, intellectual, terrible with the press, and completely hapless. Fredericka is blonde, vapid, and famously compassionate.  When they are dropped from a helicopter over New Jersey and told to prove their fitness for the throne by re-conquering the United States for Her Majesty the Queen Philippa, they learn to love one another in the process.  I laughed until I cried at these two heartwarming royal goofballs.

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Merry and Bright

Merry (almost) Christmas, friends!  I hope that while your cider is mulling, your treats are baking and your lights are twinkling, you are getting some good quality time with your family and friends.  I’m probably buried under a pile of wrapping paper or running around making last-minute preparations for Peanut’s first Christmas as you read this.  ‘Tis the season!

I’ll be back on Wednesday with a Christmas recap, but for now, here’s a poem to bring some sparkle to your holiday, by (who else?) my favorite poet, e.e. cummings.

little tree

little tree
little silent Christmas tree
you are so little
you are more like a flower

who found you in the green forest
and were you very sorry to come away?
see     i will comfort you
because you smell so sweetly

i will kiss your cool bark
and hug you safe and tight
just as your mother would
only don’t be afraid

look     the spangles
that sleep all the year in a dark box
dreaming of being taken out and allowed to shine
the balls the chains red and gold the fluffy threads

put up your little arms
and i’ll give them all to you to hold
every finger shall have its ring
and there won’t be a single place dark or unhappy

then when you’re quite dressed
you’ll stand in the window for everyone to see
and how they’ll stare!
oh but you’ll be very proud

and my little sister and i will take hands
and looking up at our beautiful tree
we’ll dance and sing
“Noel Noel”

To all my friends: I hope your holiday season is merry and bright.
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Holiday Hits: Bookworm Bests

Since shopping is such a blast, I’m back with one more bonus list of gift suggestions for the holidays!  Now, if you’ve been reading this blog for more than… I don’t know… thirty seconds or so, you’ve probably figured out that I love to read.  I love pretty much everything there is about books.  Reading is my primary hobby, and I’m a huge fan of anything that celebrates reading and books.  So if you have a similarly obsessed bookworm in your life (or if you are a similarly obsessed bookworm and want to get a treat for yourself), here are some bookish gift ideas.  These are all things that I already have (Santa, I’ll write you separately) and love.  Speaking for my people, I can tell you that pretty much any of these things would be a huge hit with your word-loving pals:

Eclectic vintage typewriter key bracelet book worm(Image Source)

Vintage typewriter jewelry.  Yep, you read that right.  I am particularly obsessed with the offerings of Lizzy Bleu on Etsy.  I have this “Book Worm” bracelet, but there are plenty of other choices in this Etsy shop – you could get yourself a pendant with your initial or any one of her many bracelets made from vintage typewriter keys.  I love this stuff – not only is it a nod to my love of words and writing, but it’s eco-friendly to boot (I’m on a huge upcycling kick).  And the quality is great.  Typewriter jewelry is a fun, quirky way to advertise one’s love of words.

Jane Austen Bookmarks - Set of 6(Image Source)

Unique bookmarks.  Hubby got me these Jane Austen bookmarks for my birthday this year and I’m in love with them (and him too, obviously).  They worked for me on multiple levels – for one thing, I’m crazy about Jane Austen.  She might be my favorite author… but don’t hold me to that; I don’t want to be tied down.  And for another, y’all know I love bookmarks.  But if your bookworm isn’t into Jane Austen, just a quick search for the name of the recipient’s favorite author and “bookmark” in Etsy is practically guaranteed to yield you some great finds.  For example, I typed in “Tolkien bookmark” and found this gorgeous hand-stamped copper bookmark that would be a fantastic gift for a Lord of the Rings enthusiast.

Lavender Bookmark & Sachet Set(Image Source)

Scented bookmark.  That’s right, ish just got real.  You know that I can’t get enough lavender.  (Or maybe you didn’t.  Anyway, it’s true.  I can’t.)  Well, this is the extent of my mania: I have TWO lavender bookmarks.  As in, fabric bookmarks stuffed with dried lavender.  I got the first one from a lavender booth at the Union Square Greenmarket in New York.  Hubby and I were on our babymoon the week before Peanut was born (well, we didn’t know it was the week before Peanut was born, but that’s how things turned out) and we were wandering through the market when I ground to a halt in front of, basically, my mothership.  This booth had all things lavender and I wanted everything, but I had intentionally packed a small bag and I was saving room for a trip to the Strand, and then I saw the bookmarks and very sweetly said “I need this, it’s really important.”  And then, because I can’t leave well enough alone, I bought another lavender bookmark on Etsy later.  Look, I love the scent of book as much as the next girl, but sometimes you just want your reading material to smell like France, amirite?

READ Sign wooden wall art cottage decor - word sign - library sign - SLATE GRAY(Image Source)

Wooden “read” sign.  I think this would be a fantastic gift for a reader: a wooden sign proclaiming their favorite hobby!  I have one of these signs in my reading nook and I love it; it reminds me of one of my favorite activities and makes for some cool decor.  Plus, you get the good feeling that comes with supporting an independent artisan.

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Penguin Clothbound Classics.  Books!  What a novel idea!  (Hee hee.)  But here’s the thing – buying books for a bookworm can be a tricky business.  Yes, we love ’em.  But it’s easy to end up with repeats.  I love giving books as gifts, but I always worry that the recipient already has a copy of the book.  But when the books are this pretty, I personally don’t mind having more than one copy and many bookworms would probably agree.  I collect Penguin Clothbound Classics and keep them together on a shelf in my bedroom.  They publish some of my favorite classics in gorgeous editions.  There are other collections, put out by other publishing houses – this just happens to be the collection that I particularly like and am therefore dedicated to acquiring.  I can practically guarantee these will be a hit – even if the bookworm in question already has a copy of, say, Pride and Prejudice, it’s hard to take issue with a pretty printed cloth cover.

Pride and Prejudice book cover t-shirt(Image Source)

Nerdwear.  I love my Pride and Prejudice shirt from Out of Print Tees, and my Reading is Sexy shirt from Buy Olympia, both of which I wear un-ironically.  Seriously – cute, comfortable, and a message I can totally get behind (and I’m talking about both shirts here).  Of course, there is a danger here: you don’t want to buy your bookworm a shirt advertising a book they hate.  But if the recipient’s favorite book is available, they’ll love a fun new library-going outfit.

Mug: White Diner(Image Source)

Bookstore Swag.  Bookworms have bookstore radar.  It’s true.  We’re drawn to bookstores; it’s our nature.  And most bookworms have a favorite bookstore.  A place that they dream about.  For me, that place is the Strand in New York City.  I love that place.  Forget Disneyland – the Strand is the happiest place on Earth.  I’d totally live there, except that I don’t want to move to New York.  I own a not-embarrassing amount of Strand-logo merchandise, including the above mug.  And a few tote bags.  And some bookmarks.  But if your bookworm dreams about a different bookstore – maybe Powell’s, or City Lights, or Politics & Prose – you can make him or her very happy with a cool mug or bookmark or t-shirt proudly announcing his or her personal affinity.

Nerd alert – I really like all this stuff.  And that’s cool, because it’s cool to be who you are and… stuff.  So.  Nobody paid me to write this post, and nobody gave me anything free.  Like I said, I just really, genuinely like everything I’m recommending.

What do you buy for the bookworms on your list?  Anything worth making a collect call to Santa over?  Spill.

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A Fairacre Binge

Village School by Miss Read(Image Source)

I don’t know if it’s the cold weather that is making me want to curl up under a blanket with a cup of tea and a cozy read… or the approaching busy holiday season that has me yearning for a simpler life… or just that they’re good books, but I’ve been on a Fairacre binge lately.

The Chronicles of Fairacre, by Miss Read, are a series of books describing the limitless charm of life in a small (some would say backward) English village just after World War II.  The main character of the series is Miss Read herself, the headmistress of the village school.  Miss Read is a spinster who likes her independent life in the village schoolhouse, and guards her freedom jealously even as the townfolk drop numerous not-so-subtle hints that she should be married.  From her post at the headmistress’s desk, Miss Read shares her wry observations of life in a rural village – from the joys and challenges of educating the country children, to the sweetness of a life measured in seasons rather than minutes and the quirks of her colleagues, acquaintences and friends, nothing escapes her observant eye.  Fairacre is peopled with memorable characters: Mrs Pringle, the cantankerous school cleaner; Miss Clare, the sweet retired infants’ teacher; Mr and Mrs Annett, the headmaster of nearby Beech Green school and his wife, herself a former Fairacre infants’ teacher; the Vicar, Gerald Partridge and his wife; Mr Willet, the reliable school caretaker, and more.  And then there are the children, a good-hearted group with excess energy and limited grammar (despite Miss Read’s heroic efforts).

Miss Read had been on my radar for years before I finally got around to reading Village School, the first in the series, earlier this year.  Village School starts the series off on a slow, ponderous note as Miss Read takes the reader through one year in the life of Fairacre School.  It’s easy to think that nothing happens in Fairacre – although there are plenty of little events, Village School is a particularly quiet book.  But the series picks up and Miss Read finds her voice in the second installment, Village Diary, in which she again records a year in her life, but this time focuses more on the adult residents of Fairacre, which gives her pen more scope for the gentle sarcasm she does so well.  I enjoyed Village School, but with Village Diary I was hooked.  I visited Fairacre again in September, dropping in for the third installment, Storm in the Village, in which the atomic energy company ponders a compulsory purchase of land near Fairacre, intending to build a housing estate for its workers, and the villagers unite in opposition.  (My September visit was just what I needed to take away some of the NICU stress.)  I can’t think of a better place to while away a quiet afternoon… or pass a stressful time… than in between the pages of one of these sweet reads.

And now it’s November, and I’ve gone on a bit of a Fairacre bender.  So far this month, I’ve read Miss Clare Remembers, Over the Gate, The Fairacre Festival, and Emily Davis – the fourth through the seventh installments.  And I’m headed back to the library for more.  I just can’t get enough of this gentle, sweet, yet subtly witty schoolteacher and her associates.

Have you read the Fairacre books?  Or ever gone on a series binge of your own?  Do share.

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Reading Round-Up: October 2012

Reading is my oldest and favorite hobby.  I literally can’t remember a time in my life when I didn’t love to curl up with a good book.  Here are my reads for October, 2012…

Freddy and Fredericka, by Mark Helprin – Freddy and Fredericka are the Prince and Princess of Wales, but the throne is on the line.  Freddy has come under fire for his affair with Lady Phoebe Boylinghotte and for a series of embarrassing media gaffes, which culminated in his being locked outside of Buckingham Palace, stark nekkid, tarred and feathered and wearing a fried chicken box on his head.  To prove their fitness to rule, Freddy and Fredericka are exiled, dropped from a helicopter over the strange land of New Jersey, and told not to come home until they have reconquered the United States.  As they travel incognito through America, attempting to fulfill their mission, Freddy and Fredericka see each other with new eyes and learn to love one another.  This book had me cracking up every other page.  The combination of “physical” comedy writing, tongue-in-cheek jabs at the British royalty, and sly wordplay was hilarious.  But there was beautiful writing, too, and abundant sweetness.

The Casual Vacancy, by J.K. Rowling – Hmmm.  As I read J.K. Rowling’s new book for adults – which examines the residents of a small town in the throes of a local election – the thought that occurred to me more than anything else was “The Dursleys would fit right in here.”  Everyone in Pagford was… indisputably… and excuse me for saying this… muggles.  The muggliest muggles of all, to be exact.  There was so much dark sadness here.  The Casual Vacancy was mainly a character study of a group of people who were particularly close to the election, and most of them were downright despicable.  Seriously, I didn’t mind Andrew, I rather liked Krystal, Gaia and Sukhvinder, and I kind of weirdly appreciated Samantha.  Everyone else, I pretty much wanted to throttle.  I was toting The Casual Vacancy to and from the NICU to read during downtime, and every time someone asked me how it is, I said “I can’t recommend it.”  And I really can’t.  It’s not that I didn’t appreciate the book (like would be too strong a word and not what I think J.K. Rowling was going for anyway) – I did, and after a few days had passed I was able to appreciate it much more.  But do not read this book on my recommendation; read it if and only if you think the story sounds good.

Wolf Hall, by Hilary Mantel (Wolf Hall #1) – I’d been waiting for months to get Wolf Hall from the library, and I was super pumped when my turn finally came… and WOW, did it ever live up to my expectations.  The novel focuses on Thomas Cromwell as he walks the political tightrope of attempting to help Henry VIII divorce Katherine of Aragon.  The story is gripping and the writing is sublime.  Now I am more excited than I can possibly convey to read the sequel, Bring Up The Bodies (but it’ll be awhile, since that one has a long waiting list too).  Highly recommend this Man Booker Prize winner.

The Good Girls Revolt: How the Women of Newsweek Sued Their Bosses and Changed the Workplace, by Lynn Povich – I heard about this new nonfiction book on NPR and was immediately intrigued.  My brother is a journalist and I’m an employment lawyer – how could I not want to read this?  The Good Girls Revolt ended up being an interesting account of the Newsweek sex discrimination complaint by one of the women who actually lived it, but what I found more intriguing was the history of sexism in magazine journalism that Povich references.  Because Povich was one of the “plaintiffs” in the case, not the attorney, she didn’t focus much on the actual legal arguments (which are different from the women’s grievances), so I was left a little bit wanting.  But Povich did paint a compelling portrait of the sexist climate in the journalism field in the 1960s and 70s, and I think that most readers would find that more interesting anyway.  (I’m speculating that most readers who pick up The Good Girls Revolt won’t be attorneys who dedicate a good chunk of their practice to defending discrimination claims.)

I was actually a bit surprised that I read as much as I did this month, since I now have a baby in the house.  But Peanut is still in the stage where she sleeps a LOT.  I enjoyed every reading experience this month – yes, even The Casual Vacancy in retrospect.  But I think Wolf Hall was the highlight – compelling story and gorgeous writing, with the promise of more good reading ahead, since it’s the first in a trilogy.  I’d never read any Hilary Mantel before and I will definitely be seeking out more of her work, and soon.  Looking ahead to November, I have more fun books on the horizon, which I hope to squeeze in sometime between Peanut care and Thanksgiving festivities.  Onward!

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Peanut’s Picks: BLUEBERRIES FOR SAL

Hiya, bloggies!  Peanut here!  Life at home is great.  I have Mommy and Daddy completely wrapped around my little finger – it didn’t take long.  Basically, I get whatever I want.  All I have to say is “Nyaaaaaaaaahhhhhhh!” and they come running to feed me and change me from one cute outfit into another and rock me until I fall back asleep.  It’s a good system we have going on, if I do say so myself.  One of my favorite things is when Mommy and I sit together in the rocking chair in my room and Mommy reads to me.  We look at all kinds of books together – books with lots of pictures, books with cardboard pages, and even some big kid books with lots and lots and LOTS of words.  Mommy said I could use her blog to tell you about some of my favorite books, since I’m such a big girl now.  (Please note: I can neither confirm nor deny the rumors that this post was ghostwritten by Mommy.)

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For my first post, I’d like to discuss Blueberries for Sal, by Robert McCloskey.  Mommy was super excited to read this book with me, because it was one of her favorite books when she was very, very small (but not as small as me).  Some pretty scary stuff happens in this book.  Little Sal and her mother go out to pick blueberries so that Sal’s mama can preserve them for the winter.  But Sal is more interested in eating the blueberries (obviously) than in picking them and saving them.  Sal’s mama yells at Sal for taking blueberries out of her bucket and then Sal gets tired of being dragged all over the place, so she sits down and eats the blueberries.  Then she goes looking for her mama, but instead she finds herself following a mama bear!  And the mama bear’s little cub finds himself following Sal’s mama!  YIKES!

I’m not going to spoil the ending for you.  You’re just going to have to read it for yourself.  (Or get my mom to read it to you.  She likes reading out loud.)

But I do want to talk about the character of Sal.  I think she gets an unfairly bad rap here.  First of all, all that Sal wants to do is eat blueberries!  Who can blame her for that?  (I love blueberries.  Actually, I love all fruit.  I know what you’re thinking: how can a baby love fruit?  But you wouldn’t question me if you knew how much fruit I made Mommy eat when I was baking.  I think Daddy actually cried over the grocery bills once or twice.)  In fact, if you ask me, Sal has the right idea.  She just wants to eat the blueberries straight off the bush, when they’re freshest and yummiest.  It’s Sal’s mother who wants to take them home and mix them with sugar and turn them into jam.  (Well… hmmmm… I might be willing to concede that both sides have valid points here.)

But anyway, Blueberries for Sal is a great book with important lessons for mommies and daddies.  These are the lessons I take from the book:

1. Blueberries for everyone!
2. Jam too!
3. Don’t yell at your kids when they just want to eat fresh blueberries.  You could find yourself being stalked by a bear.

Stay tuned for more of my book reviews and thoughts on these important issues!

xoxo,
Peanut

P.S. Mommy says I should tell you where to get the book if you want.  You can buy it online here!  Also, Mommy says I should tell you that this is not an affiliate link.  I don’t know what that means, but I do know this: blueberries for everyone!

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Shelf Study

Like many book lovers, I look forward to getting my Shelf Awareness for Readers newsletter every Tuesday and Friday.  (In fact, when I’m not on maternity leave, Tuesdays are my least favorite day of the week – all that Monday motivation is spent but Friday is oh-so-far away – and my Shelf Awareness email is sometimes the only thing that gets me through those days.)  I always read the introduction, sometimes read the author features, and skim the reviews for books that I think sound particularly intriguing.  But my favorite thing about the Shelf Awareness newsletter is when it links to bookish articles and features elsewhere on the web.  Last Tuesday’s Shelf did just that, pointing readers to a feature in which Geraldine Brooks (who wrote the Pulitzer Prize-winning March, which I loved) describes the whimsical way in which she organizes her bookshelves: alphabetical by author, but within that system she pays attention to how the authors would get along at a dinner party.  Heh!

I am not, I’m sorry to say, quite that whimsical.  In my kitchen, I have things sorted on a loose system of how-much-do-I-like-this, which drives hubby crazy and befuddles friends and family members who try to cook in my house.  But on my bookshelves, I’m pretty straightforward: I organize my books by genre and within genre, roughly by size.  I have a few idiosyncracies; for instance, within my classics collection I have a shelf and a half of books published by Barnes & Noble, and those are pretty much sorted geographically (English, Russian, American, and so on and so forth), but also by color (the older cream covers on the left, newer black colors on the right).  It’s all about what my eye finds appealing, within a system that generally makes sense.

Here’s how I sort my shelves:

Left Shelf

Top: mystery novels (Agatha Christie and Dorothy L. Sayers) on the left, children’s and young adult on the right.
Second from top: more children’s books
Third from top: literary fiction
Third from bottom: literary fiction
Second from bottom: classics, mostly trade paperback (some small hardcovers)
Bottom: classics, mostly trade paperback (some small hardcovers)

Middle Shelf

Top: Sentimental (pic of my grandparents, unity candle from my wedding, Jane Austen book hubby gave me when we were dating)
Second from top: Complete Charles Dickens (handed down from my grandmother)
Third from top: Complete Charles Dickens (handed down from my grandmother)
Third from bottom: Other leatherbound classics and nice hardcover classics
Second from bottom: Trade collection hardbound classics
Bottom: Barnes & Noble hardbound classics

Right Shelf

Top: Biographies and more literary fiction
Second from top: More literary fiction
Third from top: Comedy (David Sedaris, P.G. Wodehouse, my beloved Jon Stewart) and my bookmark collection
Third from bottom: Travel books (Rick Steves and Rough Guides as well as travel memoirs)
Second from bottom: Cookbooks
Bottom: Knitting

When I write it all out like that, it seems kind of weird.  But I swear it makes sense in my head and appeals to my eye, and since I’m generally the only one who goes looking for books on these shelves (hubby has his own shelves, in his den) I’m cool with it.  What about you – how do you organize your bookshelves?