Archive for August, 2009
« Previous EntriesSummer Reading Series: Two Years, No Rain Discussion Questions
Submitted by BOOKS ON THE BRAIN
Hello Summer Readers!
Our August Summer Reading Series selection is Two Years, No Rain by Shawn Klomparens. Shawn will be popping in to answer any questions you might have, so leave your questions in the comments. Here is a synopsis of the book, and following are discussion questions that I’ve dreamed up. Please [...]
Dreamdark: Silksinger
Submitted by Book Nut
by Laini Taylor
ages: 10+
First sentence (ARC): “”The Tapestry of Creation is failing,” hissed the Djinn King.”
Release date: September 17th; review copy sent to me by the publisher.
Support your local independent bookstore: buy it there!
I read the first book in this series a year and a half ago, and (for a variety of [...]
Secret Keeper
Submitted by Book Nut
by Mitali Perkins
ages: 13+
First sentence: “Asha and Reet held their father’s hands through the open window.”
Support your local independent bookstore: buy it there!
First and foremost, Asha and Reet are sisters.
Their dad — Baba — has lost his job in 1974 Delhi India and decides to see if he can find a job [...]
Troubadour
Submitted by Book Nut
by Mary Hoffman
ages: 12+
First sentence: “A small group of monks was making its way down to the river crossing.”
Review copy sent to me by publisher.
I generally like historical fiction. I generally like the pre-Renaissance time period. I generally like stories set in France. I sometimes like unrequited love. I generally like girls [...]
Book to Movie Friday: Julie and Julia
Submitted by Book Nut
I expected a nice, light chick flick when I got a group of foodie-minded friends together to see this last weekend.
What I got was half of a brilliant movie. The other half was fun– more fun than I expected — but not nearly as brilliant.
The half that I adored was the Julia [...]
When You Reach Me
Submitted by Book Nut
by Rebecca Stead
ages: 10+
First sentence: “So Mom got the postcard today.”
Support your local independent bookstore: buy it there!
I knew — knew — that I had to read this book back in April, when Betsy wrote about it. (Go take a moment to go read it, if you already haven’t. It’s one of [...]
Why Him, Why Her
Submitted by The Thin Red Line
I found this book Why Him,Why Her By Helen Fisher on the library shelves. While perusing it I found parts of it intersting and parts not. The idea of someone using biochemisty and MRI studies to examine the changes we got through in all stages of love fascinated me. She [...]
In – N – Out Burger: A Behind the Counter Look at the Fast Food Chain that Breaks All of the Rules.
Submitted by The Thin Red Line
Anyone who’s either lived in Southern California or the Southwest or spent anytime there should be familiar with the legendary In – N – Out Burger chain. Long famous for bucking the franchising trend and doing everything the old fashioned way. From personally inspecting to hand cutting the potatoes used [...]
The answer is NOT 42!
Submitted by The Thin Red Line
Because the question is NOT “what is the meaning of life, the universe and everything?” The answer is 69 and the question is “how many books are shown in this photograph of my to-be-read pile?” While I was extremely pleased at all the entries we received, I am very sorry [...]
Teaser Tuesday – August 11, 2009
Submitted by BOOKS ON THE BRAIN
Miz B and Teaser Tuesdays asks you to: Grab your current read. Let the book fall open to a random page. Share with us two (2) sentences from that page, somewhere between lines 7 and 12. You also need to share the title of the book that you’re getting your “teaser” [...]
The Period Blog
Submitted by BOOKS ON THE BRAIN
Like me, Sheri from the super-fabulous blog A Novel Menagerie has two preteen daughters. Inspired by My Little Red Book, we recently chatted about periods:
Lisa: I got mine when I was 11, the summer before 6th grade. How old were you?
Sheri: You know, since my brain fell out of my va-jay-jay [...]
Review: My Little Red Book
Submitted by BOOKS ON THE BRAIN
The Curse, Aunt Flow, That Time of the Month, My Monthly Friend. Whatever you call it, it’s a universal experience for women, and the first time is usually memorable.
My Little Red Book, edited by 18 year old Rachel Kauder Nalebuff, is a wonderfully diverse collection of nearly 100 short essays [...]
Leaving On a Jet Plane
Submitted by BOOKS ON THE BRAIN
California Girls with their cousins in God’s Country
We are off for 10 days on our annual trip to God’s Country (my husband’s description of his beloved Pennsylvania) where we’ll be visiting friends and family, grilling hot dogs, drinking beer, attending our niece’s graduation party, and hanging out at a beautiful, [...]
Library Loot #31
Submitted by Book Nut
I went to check out; the librarian scanned my card and started scanning my books. I said, “A week without holds? Really?” She checked again, grinned, and said, “Nope. You’ve got a few.”
They know me.
For A/K:
Wally and Mae, by Christa Kempter/Illus by Frauke Weldin
Thank You Bear, by Greg Foley
A Birthday [...]
The Forest of Hands and Teeth
Submitted by Book Nut
by Carrie Ryan
ages: 12+
First sentence: “My mother used to tell me about the ocean.”
Support your local independent bookstore: buy it there!
I think it was Leila and Jen who first made me decide that I needed to read a zombie book. This zombie book in particular. So, I stuck it on my library [...]
The True Adventures of Charley Darwin
Submitted by Book Nut
by Carolyn Meyer
ages: 10-14
First sentence: “Odd, isn’t it, how a trivial thing can turn out to be a matter of greatest importance in one’s life.”
Support your local independent bookstore: buy it there!
I had high hopes for this one.
I found it at the library while reading the evolution book, and I thought: a [...]
10 Questions for Elle Newmark
Submitted by Book Nut
One of the perks of doing blog tours, I think, is getting to “meet” the authors, eve if it is via email. Elle Newmark, author of The Book of Unholy Mischief (my review here), was gracious enough to answer a few questions I had about the book and her approach to writing.
MF: [...]
Growing Up
Submitted by Book Nut
M is 13 today.
(I’m mildly freaking out because that means there’s a teenager in the house. Eek!)
She was 8 when I started this blog, and has been the one daughter to feature prominently on it (I love C, A, and K, and as they grow — if I’m still blogging — I’m [...]
My Antonia
Submitted by Book Nut
by Willa Cather
ages: adult
First sentence: “I first heard of Antonia on what seemed to me an interminable journey across the great midland plain of North America.”
Support your local independent bookstore: buy it there!
The thing that struck me most about this classic — which I remembered being my favorite of Cather’s work when [...]
The Book of Unholy Mischief
Submitted by Book Nut
by Elle Newmark
ages: adult
First sentence: “My name is Luciano — just Luciano.”
Review as part of the Pump Up Your Book Promotion book tours.
Support your local independent bookstore!Buy it there.
It’s Venice, 1498. The dawn of the Renaissance, when the conflict between knowledge and religion is at it’s peak. The Catholic Church has ultimate [...]
Eighth Grade Bites
Submitted by Book Nut
The Chronicles of Vladimir Tod, #1
by Heather Brewer
ages: 11+
First sentence: “A tree branch slapped John Craig across the face, scraping his skin, but he kept on running and ignored the stabbing of pine needles on his bare feet.”
Support your local independent bookstore: buy it there!
Vlad is not your typical eighth grader. Well, [...]
I Need to Get Out More
Submitted by Book Nut
Because I’m positively giddy about being able to go to this (stolen from Mother Reader):
It is officially time to sign up for the KidLitosphere Conference taking place on October 17th, 2009 at the Sheraton Crystal City Hotel. The conference is open to bloggers - and wannabe bloggers - in children’s and young [...]
Library Loot #30
Submitted by Book Nut
Summer’s winding down: the library was positively quiet today. (Which meant everyone kept glaring at my loud children…) On the plus side: more books and movies were actually there. I think I like it better when it’s quiet.
For A/K:
Go, Baby Jaguar! (Go, Diego, Go! Ready-to-Read) (the downside of summer being [...]
Author Steven Van Patten interviewed by Michael Vass
Written by Black Entertainment USA
About a year ago I had the opportunity to review a novel by author Steven Van Patten. The book was Brookwater’s Curse, a vampire novel that stands out among the genre on many levels. I found the story to be engaging, the characters unique and a refreshing change.
Since that time, Steven [...]
Wondrous Words Wednesday
Submitted by BOOKS ON THE BRAIN
Wondrous Words Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Kathy at Bermudaonion’s Weblog where we share new (to us) words that we’ve encountered in our reading. Feel free to join in the fun. (Don’t forget to leave a link in your comment if you’re participating.)
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My wondrous words this week come [...]
