Wouldn't recommend starting with Burrowes first book. It's fine, and there's enough of what I enjoy in rhe newer books, but the Earl is making some weWouldn't recommend starting with Burrowes first book. It's fine, and there's enough of what I enjoy in rhe newer books, but the Earl is making some weird blunders and Anna is equally dense and sweet merciful Moses one can't help but be sick of the failures of true love to get a clue.
Happily, the more recent titles have a better distribution of plot, and a better application of humor. I appreciate the serious bits that tend more to the crime genre.
Read for my 365 Kids Book challenge. You can see all the books on their own shelf.
This is odd, but charming. Hudson, a hippo, Fran, an earthworm, andRead for my 365 Kids Book challenge. You can see all the books on their own shelf.
This is odd, but charming. Hudson, a hippo, Fran, an earthworm, and Jean, a lightbulb all come together to admire rhinos. Their friendship is strong, and all goes well until they meet an actual rhino.
The first picture book, I think, in which a character is specifically not gendered and third person singular pronouns are used. Jean is non-binary, which makes perfect sense.
As charming as the book is, I can't tell how much success to afford the illustrator. Cotterill's illustrations are fresh and crisp and captivating. Truly, I cannot separate my admiration for the text from my admiration for the pictures. I hope this does very well because I can't wait to see what else Jacobs comes up with; Cotterill has quite a few books so I know I'm going to be checking those out soon.
#28 in my 365 Kids Books challenge and request to Goodreads that the Top Readers, etc. lists be fixed. For a full explanation see my review for 101 Am#28 in my 365 Kids Books challenge and request to Goodreads that the Top Readers, etc. lists be fixed. For a full explanation see my review for 101 Amazing Facts about Australia You can see all the books on their own shelf.
Lil Nas X recorded "Old Town Road" a song with multiple record-breaking achievements, most recently the certified highest selling song in the US at over 14 million. The gentleman knows how to write a hook with crossover appeal. Arguably not the most important qualities in a children's picture book in general, but important if you're selling an ABC about a contemporary Black country family with horses. Hella charming. So wholesome. He wrote it for his nieces and nephews. Well, ok, you expect that from a guy who wanted to work with Billy Ray Cyrus because of Hannah Montana.
Taylor's art is just as appealing as the text. Those adorable outfits are all based on actual red-carpet wear. The pony, Panini!
Worth reading if only as a reminder that practice makes progress. I am by nature a completist, but I wouldn't recommend this to anyone who isn't and/oWorth reading if only as a reminder that practice makes progress. I am by nature a completist, but I wouldn't recommend this to anyone who isn't and/or isn't very keen on historical romance. Or looking for a literary drinking game: some phrases appear with great frequency.
So not a Halloween Bingo book. The vlogged and tweeted adventures of a Georgia boy on the hockey team of a New England college. There are hijinks, theSo not a Halloween Bingo book. The vlogged and tweeted adventures of a Georgia boy on the hockey team of a New England college. There are hijinks, there is bonding, there is a truly astonishing number of pies. And almost entirely angst-free. I'll be enjoying Bittle's further adventures in real time: checkpleasecomic.com
First: not enough hockey. Or at least, hockey makes a brief and violent appearance (of course!) but then it disappears. I'd have liked to see it mentiFirst: not enough hockey. Or at least, hockey makes a brief and violent appearance (of course!) but then it disappears. I'd have liked to see it mentioned again, if only to update whether it had any appeal of any kind ever again.
Second: both weirder and not as weird as I anticipated. The demons turn out to be ghosts but not in the way I'm used to thinking of them. The drug raids are very strange, but serve well as humorous anecdotes: unexpected details really go against stereotypes.
Third: see? my parenting isn't that bad. Actually, maybe it is that bad. Maybe there's a memoir coming about how weird it was to grow up with me.
Mostly I think my problem is I kind of expected it to be the stuff of sitcom, you know, zany. It's not zany. It's sad and distressing, which is really not how I had planned to focus my Halloween reading. Although to be fair, I suppose bad parenting really is horrific.
I can't wait to see what the next book is about, though.
I am having such trouble finishing new books, I decided to choose from read books on my shelves. Probably I will make the same declaration at least moI am having such trouble finishing new books, I decided to choose from read books on my shelves. Probably I will make the same declaration at least monthly until I learn or until this very well precedented time. Putting aside such deadly epidemics as Zika 2015-ongoing and Ebola 2014-2016 within the really bloody recent past, I bring your attention to Swine Flu (H1N1) 2009-ongoing, the AIDs pandemic 1981-ongoing, Influenza 1957-58, Influenza 1889-90, Influenza 1918, the Russian Plague 1770-1772, the Plague of Marseilles 1720-1723, the Plague of London 1665-1666, American Plagues including smallpox the 16th century, The Black Death 1346-1353, the Bubonic Plague of Justinian 541-42, the Cyprian Plague 250-271, the Antonine Plague 165-180, etc. These times are precedented as hell. There are people alive now who survived the 1918 pandemic, so not only is it precedented, there is precedent in living memory. And a note of interest, many of these pandemics are now known by the ruler who's subjects suffered the highest death rates. So there's a strong probability than despite his worst efforts to blame others, this may go down in history as Trump's Plague. I feel better now, but there's a risk that every future reference to "unprecedented times" will result in me screaming "ahistorical willfully-ignorant ignoramus" at the top of my lungs. You will hear me: I have a professionally-trained scream. And also, you may have noticed that the flu shows up more than once. That's because novel strains are constantly emerging, and some of those are deadly as fuck. So none of this "it's no worse than the flu" bullshit. World War I only killed 40 million soldiers and civilians. The 1918 Influenza killed 100 million people in one year....more
Reread for my 365 Kids Book challenge. You can see all the books on their own shelf.
14 August 2021
You've got to love a surreal picture book.
7 July 20Reread for my 365 Kids Book challenge. You can see all the books on their own shelf.
14 August 2021
You've got to love a surreal picture book.
7 July 2010
Well, it's illustrated by Adam Rex, so we pretty much feel a sense of ownership, and of course we loved it. A very funny picture book with fabulous illustrations. How funny is it? The endpapers are funny, the dedications are funny, the idea of flossing a baleen is funny. The back cover shows a string of cats following the whale. Adults and older kids will enjoy it as much as younger kids....more
Halfway through I was tired of the characters and unimpressed with the thughtlessness of Sam. But by the end, Oliver had won me over somewhat. I was sHalfway through I was tired of the characters and unimpressed with the thughtlessness of Sam. But by the end, Oliver had won me over somewhat. I was surprised how long it took Sam to mention Groundhog Day, since that's pretty much the first thing I thought of. That and Replay.
Why, yes, I did spend hours going over this, trying to take notes and use post-it flags to keep track of decisions. As a puzzle, this was one of the mWhy, yes, I did spend hours going over this, trying to take notes and use post-it flags to keep track of decisions. As a puzzle, this was one of the most enthralling I've encountered, vastly superior to Rubik's Cube, for example. A total mind suck....more
Lennie has just suffered the loss of her older sister. To her surprise and embarrassment, the grief hits her very physically. Suddenly she's gone fromLennie has just suffered the loss of her older sister. To her surprise and embarrassment, the grief hits her very physically. Suddenly she's gone from a mere three kisses in her life to a passionate something with two guys. I share both her embarrassment and her glee. At the first, it's all shame and humiliation because the only comfort she's finding in her grief is time spent with Toby, her sister's boyfriend. She knows it's inappropriate, it's wrong, it feels like a betrayal of her sister Bailey, and yet, she can't resist being near him. And like Lenny's best friend, you can't be angry with her, because grief does weird things to people. So the reader goes through much of the book feeling sorry for Lenny, but also being kind of appalled at the mess she's made of her life.
But also, for the first time, Lenny is falling in love. And Nelson does an amazing job of capturing how life-changing that is. The way everything feels and looks different, the thrill of touching someone, the wonder, and the terror of being so out of your mind and in your body.
It's a wonderful book, because Lenny is trying to think herself through so much raw emotion. And weaving it all together is Lenny's quirky family, her small town, poetry, and music.
The Possum is reading this for her school book club, so I decided to pick it up and read along with them. This throws all my efforts at order right ouThe Possum is reading this for her school book club, so I decided to pick it up and read along with them. This throws all my efforts at order right out the window.
***
I went a teensy bit beyond the page 135 stopping point for this week, because it was the book I had with me. But then I stopped, and picked up something else. So far, pretty good. I like the realistic industrial-age setting, with the quaint local superstitions.
***
I'm enjoying being able to discuss this with the Possum as we go along.
***
Waiting for the official okay to finish the book was hard. But the pay-off was worth it. I'd like to get the Possum to read The Rumpelstiltskin Problem write after, but I don't think she will....more
It's a near-future thriller about an extremely virulent and extremely deadly dengue. So, cool. It's not great. There's some poor writing: "an angry amIt's a near-future thriller about an extremely virulent and extremely deadly dengue. So, cool. It's not great. There's some poor writing: "an angry amount of mascara"? The characterizations are shallow, and the whole things about the verb "to be" was just plain annoying to the reader. But, it's an interesting story, and the author might eventually become really good....more
apparently, I've read this before. It's been long enough that I didn't really remember anything until after it had come up, in fact, I'd conflated theapparently, I've read this before. It's been long enough that I didn't really remember anything until after it had come up, in fact, I'd conflated the book with the Disney Beauty and the Beast movie. Not too surprising, considering how close they come in places.
Here are the three things I love best: that the three sisters are all so fond of one another, that everyone deals so pragmatically with losing everything and becoming poor, and that the Beast's library includes books that haven't yet been written in Beauty's time.
It's not perfect. The magic isn't ever really explained, there's not as much development of the Beast's personality as one might like, and Beauty's improvements don't really advance the story. But it's a book about a plain-looking bluestocking and a man with a marvelous library, and it will always warm the cockles of my heart.
But why, I ask you, doesn't she try writing a letter?
I really enjoyed reading the Chinese-mythology influenced fantasy adventures of the 17 year old heroine. The demons are overcome a little too easily, I really enjoyed reading the Chinese-mythology influenced fantasy adventures of the 17 year old heroine. The demons are overcome a little too easily, perhaps, but she still displays plenty of cunning and fight. I look forward to reading more in the series. (I don't much like destined love, but that's just me)....more
Set in an imagined place similar to England at the start of the 18th century. All the intrigue of Stephenson's Baroque Cycle, but with a manageable nuSet in an imagined place similar to England at the start of the 18th century. All the intrigue of Stephenson's Baroque Cycle, but with a manageable number of words. And a twelve-year-old heroine, and a vicious goose.
I finished up loving FLY BY NIGHT even more. It's always delightful to me to watch a character think, and Mosca puzzles out all the intrigues very well. And, she has moments of great valor. And I love all the secondary developments. And I love Mosca's final decisions so much.
Read it yourself, and recommend it to every kid from nine through twelve. It has a little something for everyone. I hope the Possum likes it, since I handed it off to her....more
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