The Lighthouse of Mr. Tinfish by Chris Wardle

by Carol3 Comments
The Lighthouse of Mr. Tinfish by Chris Wardle (Suggested reading level: Grades 3-6) Amber and I read this first book in the series together over several evening. The story centers around a colony of animals who live together by the sea. Mind you it takes place after the time of humans, who caused their own extinction by bombs and diseases. The animals have inherited a planet that faces rapid climate changes and the sea level is quickly rising forcing them to find a new home further inland. The animals are very resourceful, first organizing an expedition led by Mr. Choli, a cat who considers himself the head detective. They find a safe wood and move the colony. It actually turns out to be a move for the better, since although the river dries up over winter, the animals discover an old mine with water and a tunnel to an old town that provides lots of canned fish, instruments, all kinds of goodies. They...
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The Family Dinner by Laurie David and Kirstin Uhrenholdt with Giveaway

by Carol22 Comments
The Family Dinner by Laurie David with recipes by Kirstin Uhrenholdt We sit down as a family for dinner probably most every night, and I have to admit that I'm always on the lookout for new cookbooks. I think trying new recipes is fun. It doesn't hurt that my husband will eat just about everything and Amber (10) is usually pretty good at trying things or finding parts of a meal she'll eat. While this book  is chock-full of recipes, it's more than a cookbook. Davis discusses why having dinner together is important and offers steps to making those dinners successful (no cell phones!). There are conversation starters, some of which I can actually see working and not just leaving kids rolling their eyes at you. "What is the grossest thing you have ever eaten?" "Describe your dream vacation. Give lots of details." Those two questions alone could probably keep the talk going at our table for hours, with more details than I'd...
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Tuesday Teaser from Hotel Du Lac

by Carol7 Comments
While the young of all nations hurtled off to the sun and the beaches, jamming the roads and the airports, the Hotel du Lac took a quiet pride, and sometimes it was very quite indeed, in its isolation from the herd, knowing too that it would never refuse a reasonable request from a new client, provided that the new client had the sort of unwritten references required from an hotel of this distinction, and that the request had come from someone whose name was already on the Huber family's files, most of which went back to the beginning of the century. As she descended the wide, shallow stairs Edith could hear well-behaved laughter echoing from some sort of salon, where she supposed tea to be in progress, and them as she approached, as if drawn to this sound, a sudden furious barking, high-pitched, peevish, boding ill for future peace. (pg 15-16, Hotel Du Lac by Anita Brookner) I am loving this book....
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Acqua Alta by Donna Leon

by Carol7 Comments
Acqua Alta by Donna Leon I just had a really nice lunch hour. It's beautiful outside, sunny but not too warm, so I took the dog for a walk and listened to Aqua Alta. Then I made myself a grilled cheese sandwich with American cheese and apples and finished listening to the mystery. Mind you, the fact that it was American cheese is notable simply because usually I have to use cheddar, Amber hates American. Like I mentioned I listened to the audio version of this read by Anna Fields. This is actually the fifth in the series but my first introduction to Guido Brunetti, a policeman in Venice. I didn't feel like I missed anything major by not reading any of the others first, although I guess a couple of the other characters, my two favorites actually, also had parts in a previous book. Brunetti is investigating the brutal beating of a friend of his, American art historian Brett Lynch. Before her...
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The Turnip by Pierr Morgan

by Carol3 Comments
The Turnip by Pierr Morgan (Suggested age range: Preschool) This is an old Russian folktale that I actually ran across when I talking about a Halloween book , Big Pumpkin. Somewhere I read that it was based on a Russian tale, so i had to find it. In this story, Dedoushka grew a huge turnip, so big that he couldn't pull it out of the ground. His wife, Baboushka, comes to help, but even the two of them together can't pull out the turnip. They call their granddaughter and eventually, with the help of the granddaughter, the dog and cat and a tiny filed mouse, they finally pull the turnip free. I love the bright illustrations, the characters stand out well against the more pastel farm background. The story itself has a nice rhythm and the names give it a distinct Russian flavor. Deduchka pullat the turnip, Baboushka pulled at Dedoushka, Mashenka pulled at Baboushka, Geouchka pulled at Masehnka, Keska pulled at Geouchka, the little...
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