Thank You, Sarah by Laurie Halse Anderson

by Carol4 Comments
Thank You, Sarah by Laurie Halse Anderson, illustrated by Matt Faulkner (Suggested reading level: Ages 4-8) I hate to admit that I had no idea Sarah Hale was before reading this. She was a writer, a teacher, a publisher. She argued against slavery and fought for schools for girls. She was a "superhero," which is what Thanksgiving needed. People were forgetting about the holiday, but Sarah Hale believed that the whole country should celebrate it, together, and made it happen. Never underestimate dainty little ladies. This book, for me, celebrates the power of a woman and the power of writing. Sarah Hale wrote letter after letter, article after article and never gave up. Finally, in 1863, President Lincoln delared Thanksgiving a national holiday. I love reading books with Amber (9) that talk about real women who changed the world, in small and big ways. This story was a little young for her, but sometimes it's nice to just sit down and read a couple of...
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Game Night – Winter Games

by Carol3 Comments
With winter just around the corner, I was trying to think of some seasonal games. Unfortunately we don't have any in our collection. I did find a couple that look fun for families, though. Of course, on a day when it's too cold or mucky to go outside, any board game is great. A while back I posted about Ticket to Ride, which is a fun family game. Well, here's a snowier version. Ticket to Ride: Nordic Countries Designer: Alan R Moon Manufacturer: Days of Wonder Artist: Julien Delval Year: 2008 Players: 2 - 3 Time: 30 - 60 minutes Ages: 8 and up Ticket to Ride: Nordic Countries takes you on a Nordic adventure through Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden as you travel to the great northern cities of Copenhagen, Oslo, Helsinki and Stockholm. Visit Norway's beautiful fjords and the magnificent mountain scenery on the Rauma Railway. Breathe in the salt air of the busy Swedish ports on the Baltic Sea. Ride through the Danish countryside where Vikings once...
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Fantastic Mr. Fox by Roald Dahl

by Carol8 Comments
Fantastic Mr. Fox by Roald Dahl Amber, who was 8 at the time, and I read this story back in August of 2008 and adored it. It was a joy to read. Before you go out and see the movie, please take the time to read this classic children's book. To be honest, I'm a little leery of the movie, the ads remind me little of the actual story. This is a "garden tale" of farmer versus vermin, or vice versa. The farmers in this case are a vaguely criminal team of three stooges.  Whatever their prowess as poultry farmers, within these pages their sole objective is the extermination of our hero--the noble, the clever, the Fantastic Mr. Fox. In the end, Mr. Fox not only survives, but also helps the whole community of burrowing creatures live happily ever after....
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Chosen by Desire by Kate Perry

by Carol17 Comments
Chosen by Desire by Kate Perry I'm a sucker for a fun hot romance, especially one with a touch of the paranormal, so this was right up my alley. I loved it. By the way, this is the second of the Guardians of Destiny, after Marked by Passion, but I didn't feel like I missed much by not reading the first. Carrie is working on finishing her thesis and needs final proof before she leaves China: Wei Lin's journal. She ends up "borrowing" it from a monastery, along with another scroll, the legendary Book of Water. She just kinda got stuck, stealing is not something she would usually do. Here begins the Book of Water, wherein lies the truth about man and energy. For energy is but a tool, good or bad determined by he who wields it... (pg. 44) Max, the alpha hero who is living as a monk, sees her steal the scrolls and follows her back to California, determined to retrieve...
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Chocolate: A Love Story by Max Brenner

by Carol9 Comments
Chocolate: A Love Story by Max Brenner, illustrations by Yonatan Factor I have never been to one of Max Brenner's restaurants, but if this book is any indication, I would be in a chocolate heaven. This is a gorgeous coffee table cookbook. The 65 recipes all sound sinfully delicious, from the Bohemian French Toast Chocolate Sandwiches to the Intimate Scones and the Mannered White Chocolate Crème Brûlée. Instead of the traditional photo photos, each recipe is accompanied by original graphics, almost art-deco in feel. A lot of them also include a line or two of musings, kind of setting the stage for the recipe. I can see chocoholics loving this mouth-watering book. I actually tried one of the recipes. Supposedly they are easy to follow, but I didn't have such good luck. First, I had to find one that I understood all the words of and could get a hold of all the ingredients. I live in a fairly small town; we...
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