Eat, Read, and Be Mommy

I missed the 17th because it was my birthday and I was distracted, and now we’re headed into family time. I’ll see you at the end of the week!

I was thrilled to win a copy of Susan Wiggs’ The Lost and Found Bookshop in a Goodreads giveway; if there’s anything better than a book, it’s a book about books, right? (Or about food…or about history…really, nothing’s better than books.) What I discovered as I read, however, is that Wiggs’ novel is two things more than anything else–a love story involving life changes and growth and a love song for the city of San Francisco. It’s clear that Wiggs loves books and reading, yes, but I was a bookseller for 10 years, and this just didn’t feel like a book about the bookstore. Of course, the description on the back does an excellent job of describing the book as it is, so perhaps I was just misled by the title? (I’m also pretty picky, having worked as a bookseller for 10 years; her editor should have been pickier about a few of the publication dates of the titles she mentions.*)

At any rate, this was mostly women’s fiction with the sort of detail about San Francisco that will speak to those familiar with the city (being from our country’s other coast, I could feel I was missing out on some of the ambience.) As Natalie deals with her mother’s death and the precarious financial situation she inherited, she rediscovers her past from a different perspective; she also discovers items from her family’s and the city’s history hidden inside her pre-1906-earthquake building. It’s a nice story with an interesting historical component–and an element of hope that’s a good thing in a book published in 2020. Enjoy!

*If you watched your bookstore owner mother handsell a book published in 1992 from the New Release table when you were in elementary school, then that same mother shouldn’t be encouraging you to read a book published in 2005 while you were STILL in elementary school. The 2005 book took place in the 1970s, and I’m guessing that’s why it slipped through the cracks, but a picture book published in 1996 is also mentioned as a girlhood favorite. Dates were just not checked carefully enough.

I finished Rob Buyea’s The Perfect Star the other day, and I have to say, the ending choked me up a bit. (It was also wildly improbable in parts, but whatever.) Gavin, Randi, Scott, Natalie, and Trevor have come a long way over the course of three books, and I was thoroughly invested in their struggles, adventures, and friendship. The Recruits take you along as they navigate injuries, bullies, life changes, and 8th grade, and it’s a ride worth reading (so to speak). Start with The Perfect Score and enjoy!

Oh, and if you see a Hami melon at your local Costco or grocery store, buy one and enjoy that as well. We tried our first one this week, and it was TASTY.

Oh, my goodness. I finished Kate DiCamillo’s Louisiana’s Way Home last night, and it was BEAUTIFUL. (It was also the first book I’ve read of hers in forever that seemed more akin to Because of Winn-Dixie than to her odder (yes, odder, not older!) titles.) Louisiana’s voice is captivating, a mixture of innocence and experience, and the supporting cast of characters constitutes a vibrant slice of southern life. I don’t know that the plot needs more explaining than the title already gives, but this is a story of curlers, caramels, a crow, and kindness when it really matters, and it needs to be on your shelf. If you haven’t read Raymie Nightingale, you’ll still thoroughly enjoy it; on the other hand, if you have, there’s going to be a bit of added background knowledge that will probably enrich your reading experience. On the other hand, I enjoyed Louisiana quite a bit more than Raymie, so it’s your call!

Tonight I took my girlies (all three of them!) to see their cousin in a community theatre production of “Frozen Junior”, and while it’s still not my favorite show, it was a fabulous thing to be able to see. We went to Nielson’s Frozen Custard afterwards–appropriate!–and didn’t get home until 11-ish, which I’m trying not to think about. To that end, goodnight all!

I’ve decided that’s what Gordon Korman writes, folks, and The Juvie Three is a perfect example of that. Remember the movie “The Dream Team”–Michael Keaton, Christopher Lloyd, and the fabulous Peter Boyle? Imagine that, only with kids from juvie in an outpatient/halfway program and their counselor/guardian/sort-of-parole-officer. Imagine that while the latter is in the hospital–first in a coma, then with amnesia–the former have to agree on a plan with the best chance of a decent outcome for their futures. Imagine a cranky old neighbor, a rich man’s daughter, a recording contract, and a broken bowling trophy, and what do you get? A vintage Korman story full of heartache, hope, and humor. Is it likely? Not even remotely. Does it have elements of truth that feel especially (and painfully) timely right now? Only EVERYWHERE. I’d highly recommend this one for junior high on up (note that it’s rightly shelved in YF, not JF, at least in my library system); it’s a ride and a half.

Howdy, folks! I forgot to put up a “taking some family time” post, but that’s exactly what I was doing–my hubby’s family’s reunion was up in Idaho, and we went up the 1st and came home late last night. (Unfortunately, there was a stomach flu making the rounds, and I was up with it this morning…) Good times were had by all–sleep, not so much–and we went back up to my in-laws’ house for dinner tonight. (I didn’t eat much, granted, but hey.) Tomorrow morning will begin the unpacking and putting away and doing laundry process, but in the meantime, I get to review Jason Reynolds’ Sunny, the third in his fabulous “Track” series. All I ACTUALLY need to say about it, of course, is that the entire series is pretty great, and you should just go read the whole thing; on the other hand, there are helpful thoughts to be shared. My friend Andrea got her hands on the audiobook before I did, and texted me to say that the narrator was delightful; when I talked to her next, she talked about sounds being an important part of the story as a whole, and how much more effective listening to it was than reading it would have been.

She wasn’t wrong.

It’s true that it felt a little goofy to me at first, but given Sunny’s character, I’d say that’s part of the point. He’s an odd duck, is Sunny, but his story is a compelling one. (I was pretty mad at his father for a while, but given HIS story, it couldn’t last forever.) From the people in his life to the details of his life, Sunny shows us how personal tragedies we can’t even remember can shape us long after the fact. AND he does it while making us laugh.

That’s all I’ve got in me for tonight, folks–sleep well and I’ll see you on Tuesday!

That is, in fact, the premise of Sparks!, a graphic novel that should appeal to just about every elementary schooler who likes graphic novels and/or crazy adventures. Add in an ambitious reporter, an evil baby trying to take over the planet by mind controlling all of the animals, and a PTSD-level fear of grass–and that’s pretty much all you need to know. Enjoy!

I finished reading Breaking Cat News: Cats Reporting on the News That Matters to Cats last night, and I did rather enjoy it. I probably would have enjoyed it more if my own cat owner experiences had been with inside cats as well, but still–it was fun. My one beef–and the reason I’m just returning it, instead of passing it along to my children–is the use of the Lord’s name in vain. I know that many, many wonderful people do it without thinking, but it pains me to hear it or read it, and I don’t need my kids becoming comfortable with it in casual conversation. If it weren’t for that, I’d have passed in on without hesitating. As it is, the substance of it was quite fun–but back to the library it goes.

Not all children’s books age well, as I’m sure you know; Robert McCloskey’s Centerburg Tales, however, is an excellent example of one that’s managed it. When I discovered that it was a companion to (continuation of?) Homer Price, I decided to read it aloud to my children as well, and while the length of some of the stories made pacing our reading sessions slightly problematic, it was still a hit. (The last story was especially entertaining out loud, but I truly enjoyed the whole book.) Imagine a slyly humorous slice of small town Americana with a dash of tall tale mixed in, with something of the wholesome fun of an early Doris Day film but for a younger audience (and an especial appeal for boys).

I’m currently imagining the two books together as a belated Father’s Day present…