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◊Book Reviews◊
 | ◊Dress Your Family In Corudroy and Denim◊
◊Summary◊
Dress Your Family In Corduroy and Denimis a collection of satirical, personal essays that uncover the hidden asburdities that seep into the cracks of our everyday lives. |
◊Review◊
This book held me hostage!
The first essay was about the "Keeping up with the Jones'" syndrome- You know, the one that most people experience when their
"well-meaning" neighbors invite them over for dinner and by circumstance give a 40 minute infomercial on how they had fun remodeling their kitchen or how wonderful
their new boat is.The essays that follow are just as witty- giving us a glimpse into the author's world that may even parallel you own at times. Seriously, put the kids to
bed, get a cup of tea, and get ready laugh at your own expense. Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim has opened my eyes to the lengths that we will sometimes go
to look like we have it all together. The pages seemed to fly by as it felt like the author was an old friend who came over for coffee and good conversation. If you are
looking for a great read or you just need some relief from the duties as a holiday hostess, this book is for you!
Contributed By : Faith (Huntersmom2006) |
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◊Children's Book Review◊
 | ◊Stellaluna◊
Stellaluna has been one of my favorite children’s books of mine going back to my days of being a summer camp teacher at the Phoenix Zoo. It was released back in April of 1993, written by Janell Cannon. It was released on video last year and I found it in the video store. It’s a great movie for your preschoolers and primary graders.
Stellaluna is a baby Flying Fox who falls from her mother in flight (baby bats hold onto their mothers until they take care of themselves, if they fall |
off usually they die). Stellaluna has no idea what she is and when she luckily lands in a bird nest and befriends the three baby birds. Their mother adopts Stellaluna and raises her as one of her own. Momma Bird doesn’t want her hang upside down anymore, to eat bugs, and to sleep during the night (all things she doesn’t naturally do). Stellaluna falls out of the nest a day or two later and the baby birds follow her, they all fly around and end up getting lost. Stellaluna keeps flying looking for ‘their’ Momma bird while the three are sleeping and hiding.
Now you ask, why am I writing about this book? It is great on so many levels. Some of the other readers review that I have read that they see it either as a book about bats or a book about overcoming your fears. Yes it teaches children about bats, which bats are great animals (that’s why we read it our theme at the Zoo summer and night programs were Bats). It also teaches us not to give up to keep trying and even to try something new. Stellaluna and the baby birds each try out the others skills. The baby birds try hanging upside down, Stellaluna learns to sleep upright and eat bugs (some bats do eat insects but some are fruit bats all bats are nocturnal, sleep during the day awake at night).
Now why, do I love this book besides the great illustrations and story. It’s the basic principle of the Baha’i Faith that you can find in this book. It teaches children to accept and appreciate diversity. That we can be different and live together and be friends. That we don’t have to all dress and look alike.
Will Stellaluna continue living as a bird or will she find out who and what she really is? I can’t tell you the answer to this because I will ruin the ending. You must read this book to your little ones and/or watch the video. Stellaluna is one book I have in my collection just for reading to the grand babies or other small children we know. Rent the video, buy it, share the story of love and acceptance with your family.
The article was written by Sandy Mullins
Contributed By : Kat (Razor Heretic)
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◊Book Reviews◊
 | ◊A Dangerous Fortune - (1994/1999)◊
◊By Ken Follett◊
♠About the books♠
“Good thrillers are like elegant geometrical proofs. Their drama lies not in their ultimate outcome but in their method. Thought we know that the good guys will eventually triumph, we don’t know how; a good thriller should keep us guessing until the last page. |
Ken Follett [does] just that.” --Newsweek
I first read this book when I was 14-years-old. I went to my father’s bookshelf, closed my eyes, and randomly picked out a book for a high school English book report. It was my first experience with adult fiction. I have been ‘borrowing’ it ever since.
A Dangerous Fortune is 600 pages of late Victorian tragedy, deceit, murder, sex, and mystery. This wicked thriller is not easy to put down, no matter how many times you have read it. While this Ken Follett best-seller may not be the strongest among the rest, it is certainly one of the most entertaining, if not just for the surprising ending. It will no doubt remain one of my top ten favorite fiction books of all time.
A Dangerous Fortune follows a merchant banker family, the Pilasters, through corruption, bankruptcy, suicide, murder, and deceit, much of which is meticulously arranged by one of my very favorite female villains to hate, Augusta Pilaster. Each character is masterfully created and easily visualized throughout the book. The plot never thins only twists as family secrets are discovered.
I recommend this book to anyone that enjoys historical fiction, suspense, mystery, and even erotic fiction.
♠From the Back Cover♠
In 1866, tragedy strikes at the exclusive Windfield School. A young student drowns in a mysterious accident involving a small circle of boys. The drowning and its aftermath initiates a spiraling circle of treachery that will span three decades and entwine many lives…
From the exclusive men’s clubs and brothels that cater to every dark desire of London’s upper classes to the dazzling ballrooms and mahogany-paneled suites of the manipulators of the world’s wealth, Ken Follett conjures up a stunning array of contrasts. His breathtaking new novel portrays a family splintered by lust, bound by a shared legacy… men and women swept toward a perilous climax where greed, fed by the shocking truth of a boy’s death, must be stopped, or not just one man’s dreams, but those of a nation, will die…
♠Other Ken Follett titles:♠
♥The Pillars of the Earth
♥Eye of the Needle
♥Night over Water
♥A Place Called Freedom
♥Whiteout
♥Hornet Flight
♥Jackdaws
♥Code to Zero
♥The Hammer of Eden
♥The Third Twin
♥Lie Down with Lions
♥On Wings of Eagles
♥The Man from St Petersburg
♥The Key to Rebecca
♥Triple
♥http://www.ken-follett.com
Contributed By : Jennifer (Memories) |
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◊Children's Book Review◊
 | ◊Good Dog Carl◊
Good Dog, Carl is series of wordless children's books written and illustrated by Alexandra Day centering around a Rottweiler named Carl. The board book versions of these stories are particularly popular. Carl is every child's favorite Rottweiler, the dog with the dexterity and responsibility of an adult. Carl takes care of the baby Madeline when her mother is away. Lunch is bread and butter on the floor, followed by a quick hop in the tub, a speedy blow dry and back into the crib - just in time for Mom's reappearance. |
◊Book titles◊
Puppy Trouble (2002)
Follow Carl (1998)
Carl's Baby Journal (1996)
My Puppy's Record Book (1996)
Carl's Birthday (1995)
Carl Makes a ScrapBook (1994)
Carl Pops-Up (1994)
Carl Goes to Daycare (1993)
Carl's Masquerade (1992)
Carl's Afternoon in the Park (1991)
Carl's Christmas (1990)
Carl Goes Shopping (1989)
Good Dog Carl (1987)
http://www.gooddogcarl.com/
Contributed By : Kat (Razor Heretic) |
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