emilyreads

Liberty: Review Haiku

2008-10-13T06:00:00.001-05:00

Clint's midlife crisis:
yet I keep picturing
Keillor having sex. (Ew.)

Liberty by Garrison Keillor. Viking, 2008, 267 pages.

A Tale of Two Cities: Review Haiku

2008-10-07T06:00:00.002-05:00

Oh my heck, I
actually enjoyed Dickens.
Vive le Carton!

A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens. Chapman and Hall, 1859, 544 pages.

#43 on The LIST. (Thanks, Leila, for the kick in the pants.)

The Patron Saint of Butterflies: Review Haiku

2008-10-06T06:00:00.001-05:00

Fascinating look
at fanaticism, cults
(though I guessed ending).

The Patron Saint of Butterflies by Cecilia Galant. Bloomsbury, 2008, 292 pages.

I Get to Fly on a Plane All By Myself!

2008-10-03T06:00:00.000-05:00

Taking off this weekend to go meet my NEPHEW, at last. Squee! With no small, grubby people to disturb my all-important flight reading time by demanding snacks and water and attention and gum! Perhaps I will finish A Tale of Two Cities after all.*

* Who am I kidding: I'm totally reading Us Weekly. Emmy fashions!

The Screwtape Letters: Review Haiku

2008-10-02T06:00:00.000-05:00

Fascinating stuff
for believers and skeptics
alike. Beats Aslan.

The Screwtape Letters by C. S. Lewis. Geoffrey Bies, 1942, 175 pages.

#42 on The LIST.

P.S. Happy birthday, Boy Scout!

Nancy Drew, Girl Detective: Doggone Town: Review Haiku

2008-10-01T06:00:00.001-05:00

Nancy goes graphic!
Still implausible; now
causes vertigo, too!

Nancy Drew, Girl Detective #13: Doggone Town by Stefan Petrucha. Papercutz, 2008, 112 pages.

The Economic Naturalist: Review Haiku

2008-09-30T06:00:00.001-05:00

Why do drive-up cash
machines have Braille? Fascinating,
mind-boggling stuff.

The Economic Naturalist: In Search of Explanations for Everyday Enigmas by Robert H. Frank. Perseus, 2007, 226 pages.

Moxy Maxwell Does Not Love Writing Thank-You Notes: Review Haiku

2008-09-29T06:00:00.001-05:00

The chapter titles
can get tiresome, but the
gold spray paint? Priceless.

Moxy Maxwell Does Not Love Writing Thank-You Notes by Peggy Gifford. Schwartz & Wade, 2008, 159 pages.

Alvin Ho: Review Haiku

2008-09-26T06:00:00.000-05:00

Selectively mute
Alvin speaks volumes on
being a gentleman.

Alvin Ho: Allergic to Girls, School, and Other Scary Things by Lenore Look, illustrated (marvelously) by LeUyen Pham. Schwarz & Wade, 2008, 172 pages.

P.S. Burning question: Isn't it odd that Alvin has a brother Calvin? Will this ever be explained? Especially given the part where both boys were putting their names on everything? . . .

MotherReader hearts my blog!

2008-09-25T06:00:00.002-05:00

The gracious and charming MotherReader tagged me in the bloggy lovefest "I Heart Your Blog." Thanks, Pam!

Now I must return the favor. The rules, as I understand them, are this:

1) Add the logo of the award to your blog
Check.

2) Add the link of the person who awarded it to you to your blog
Check.

3) Nominate at least 7 other blogs

Let's see: let's be nepotistic, sort of, and link to authors and illustrators I either work with or aspire to work with.

Fiona Bayrock, my favorite Canuck (is that a slur? I hope it's not a slur)

Frank W. Dormer, who is gleefully insane

Sarah Miller, whose appetite for reading is truly impressive

Anastasia Suen, she of the boundless energy

Laurie Halse Anderson, whom I revere and whom I once alarmed at NCTE

Matthew Holm, possibly my new secret crush (sorry, honey

And as a big wet kiss on the bum, the Charlesbridge blog, Unabridged.

4) Add links to those blogs to your blog
Check.

5) Leave a nice warm message for each of your nominees!
Check . . . check.

Thanks for the pick-me-up!

Lamentations of the Father: Review Haiku

2008-09-24T06:00:00.000-05:00

Not responsible
for coffee or other drinks
spewed in amusement.

Lamentations of the Father: Essays by Ian Frazier. FSG, 2008, 194 pages.

Judy Moody Goes to College: Review Haiku

2008-09-23T06:00:00.001-05:00

Never thought I'd say
"ridonkulous" to my four-
year-old. Sick-awesome.

Judy Moody Goes to College by Megan McDonald, illustrated by Peter Reynolds. Candlewick, 2008, 129 pages.

The Year of the Rat: Review Haiku

2008-09-22T07:00:00.004-05:00

Charming and sweet (if
hard to read objectively).
Grace nails emotions.

The Year of the Rat by Grace Lin. Little Brown, 2007, 182 pages.

Cybilly goodness

2008-09-22T06:48:00.004-05:00

Ooh, cool! I'll be on the judging panel for the Cybils' nonfiction picture book category this year. After two years doing middle-grade/YA nonfiction, it'll be nice to look at shorter books for a change. And I get to be led by my favorite bubble expert, Fiona Bayrock!

(Of course, I harbor a secret wish that I'll have to recuse myself, since the finalists will surely all be Charlesbridge books . . . )

Vacation roundup, Disney edition

2008-09-15T19:51:00.002-05:00

Took the Munchkin to the Happiest Place on Earth this weekend. (Left the Boy at home with grandparents, thank God.) Despite my general Disney meh-ness, had a great time -- those Mouse people really do think of everything.

Came back to at least two flaming crises, six overdue projects, two loads of laundry, and a partridge in a pear tree.

By the numbers
Us Weekly issues read: 2 (Shut up. I only buy it at the airport. Really.)
Chapters of A Tale of Two Cities read: 6 (sorry, Leila)
Pages of various coloring and/or activity books colored and/or . . . activated: eleventy billion
Anticipated book-reading to be done in the next, oh, six weeks or so: nil

Mother on Fire: Review Haiku

2008-09-10T07:00:00.001-05:00

Gosh, I wanted to
like this more than I did. Just
take a Xanax, eh?

Mother on Fire: A True Motherf#%$* Story About Parenting by Sandra Tsing Loh. Random, 2008, 320 pages.

Lawn Boy: Review Haiku

2008-09-09T07:00:00.000-05:00

Local boy makes good:
gets mower, hires migrants, learns
capitalism.

Lawn Boy by Gary Paulsen. Wendy Lamb/Random, 2007, 88 pages.

Allie Finkle's Rules for Girls #2: The New Girl: Review Haiku

2008-09-08T07:00:00.001-05:00

Allie, meet bully.
Bully, meet Allie. Now go
learn big life lessons.

Allie Finkle's Rules for Girls #2: The New Girl by Meg Cabot. Scholastic, 2008, 240 pages.

The Cabinet of Wonders: Review Haiku

2008-09-03T19:14:00.002-05:00

Impressive debut:
Just enough magic to thrill,
but not overwhelm.

The Cabinet of Wonders by Marie Rutkowski. FSG, 2008, 272 pages.

The Possibilities of Sainthood: Review Haiku

2008-08-29T11:01:00.002-05:00

Wanted to love it,
but concept and character
never gelled for me.

The Possibilities of Sainthood by Donna Freitas. FSG, 2008, 280 pages.

Suite Scarlett: Review Haiku

2008-08-28T07:00:00.000-05:00

High sibling drama
from a mousy blond who
finally finds her voice.

Suite Scarlett by Maureen Johnson. Point/Scholastic, 2008, 353 pages.

NEPHEW!

2008-08-28T06:37:00.002-05:00

I have a nephew! He has no name, and he is very small, but still! NEPHEW!

Tell Me Where It Hurts: Review Haiku

2008-08-27T07:00:00.000-05:00

Made me sad (I miss
my dogs!) but also glad (I'm
not wackjob parent!).

Tell Me Where It Hurts: A Day of Humor, Healing, and Hope in My Job as an Animal Surgeon by Nick Trout. Broadway, 2008, 286 pages.

Adventures of Huckleberry Finn: Review Haiku

2008-08-26T07:00:00.002-05:00

Twain's classic captures
the best and worst of the
American spirit.

Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain. 1884, Charles Webster & Co., 366 pages.

#41 on The LIST, even though it wasn't there before, because it should've been, and hey, it's my LIST. Listened to on a Playaway device.

Julia Gillian and the Art of Knowing: Review Haiku

2008-08-25T07:00:00.002-05:00

Not exactly plot-
heavy, but a welcome new
voice in middle-grade.

Julia Gillian (and the Art of Knowing) by Alison McGhee. Scholastic, 2008, 280 pages.