A little of this, a little of that

I've been listening to some great stories the past few weeks. First, a little history. The Big Oyster: History on the Half Shell by Mark Kurlansky is the story of a growing New York City and the oyster business. One thing the Europeans discovered when they settled in New York was a huge abundance of oysters in the New York harbors. These oysters were big and tasty and a thriving oyster business soon cropped up. When the railroads connected New York with states further west, New York began exporting their oysters across the country. Unfortunately, oysters were over-farmed and as the rivers and harbors became more and more polluted, the oysters (and the oyster business) died out. Oysters are making a come-back though. In fact, my brother-in-law's father is an oysterman on Long Island (Oysterpond Oysters are DELICIOUS!!!) and hopefully this native New Yorker can make a full recovery. Interesting read for a little local history.

A little legal drama... The Summons by John Grisham. Ray is trying to live a peaceful life as a law professor in Virginia when his father, the Judge, sends him a summons to come home to Mississippi. When he gets there Ray finds his father dead and 3 million dollars hidden in a cabinet in his office. While trying to figure out where the cash came from, Ray is being followed, chased and attacked by someone who wants the money. Did the Judge take a bribe? Was he crooked? Who wants the cash?  And who can Ray trust with this secret? I've listened to a couple of John Grisham's novels on CD and am never disappointed with Michael Beck's readings.

A little murder... Under Orders by Dick Francis. Sid Halley, an ex-jockey who was seriously injured in a racing accident is now a private investigator, finds himself a target in this one. When a jockey, a trainer and a horse all die mysteriously at or immediately after the Chetlenham Gold Cup Halley is called in to figure things out. He gets a little too close to discovering the truth about a gambling ring though and his family and loved ones become targets. If you like a good murder mystery, this one is for you. I love a good who-dun-it!

A little more history... Dave the Potter: Artist, Poet, Slave by Laban Carrick Hill tells the story of a slave known as Dave. Little is known about Dave since there were few records kept about slaves, but we do know that he was an extremely talented man. Dave lived in South Carolina  and was one of the two potters at that time who could successfully make pots and jars larger than 20 gallons. Another thing that makes Dave unique is that he could read and write. He wrote several short poems on various pots and jars that he made.  Some are serious and thoughtful, "I wonder where / is all my relation / friendship to all— / and, every nation." and others are more playful, "On wet days, / heavy with rainwater, / it is cool and squishy, / mud pie heaven.” All the poems are incredible though, just by the fact that they exist at all. The fantastic illustrations by Bryan Collier earned this book Caldecott Honor Award in 2011.

A little dystopian survival... Ship Breaker by Paolo Bacigalupi was the Printz Award winner this year. This story takes place some time in the future near what we now know as New Orleans. In this story though, it is just Orleans, since there is nothing "new" about this flooded and destroyed city. Nailer makes his living by scavenging beached tankers looking for anything that can be re-used. His specialty is climbing into the inner-most parts of the ship looking for copper wire. After a hurricaine Nailer and his best friend find a shipwrecked sailboat filled with sellable goods and luxuries with one passenger still alive. This passenger claims to be the “swank” daughter of a shipping-company owner. Nailer decides to help this "lucky-girl" get back home partly because he has feelings for her and partly to get away from his drug-addicted and abusive father. There is lots of action and many memorable characters that keep the story grounded while moving at a fast pace.

You are now entering The Twilight Zone...

I came across an old episode of The Twilight Zone the other day on TV (it was the one with the monster on the wing of the plane and no one believes the guy that he saw it) and it reminded me that I have a few graphic novel versions of these stories in the library. Since I'd enjoyed watching the episode so much, I figured I'd give the books a shot!

The 8th grade teachers use the episode The Mosters are Due on Maple Street when teaching about the 1050's and paranoia. This graphic novel does a good job of translating that classic episode without losing much of the fear and intensity of the time.

I love to travel, but don't like flying. Actually, I don't mind the flying so much - I just can't stand the taking-off and landing parts. The Oddysey of Flight 33 is my worst nightmare!! It would be just my luck to end up with dinosaurs and not a library anywhere to be had!!



"Will the real Slim Shady Please Stand Up, Please Stand Up, Please Stand Up...." OK, quick - get that song out of my head! But having read Will the Real Martian Please Stand Up? it's just running in a loop in my head. The ill-fated,but well intentioned,cops are trying to make sure everyone is safe after a "UFO" crashes in the woods, but can't figure out who is the alien in the diner. It seems everyone has a logical reason for being there. But when strange things begin to happen, everyone is nervous. After the bus leaves with it's passengers it is revealed that there isn't just one alien, but one from Mars and one from Venus, it's pretty creepy.

Now for a little love story... I adore Cecil Castellucci and Jim Rugg's Plain Janes and I equally adore Janes in Love. The PLAIN Janes (People Loving Art in Neighborhoods) are back at it, "attacking" their town with beautiful art to inspire people and brighten their day. Unfortunately, after an anthrax attack, the police and some other people in town can't appreciate the good work the Janes are trying to do. When Jane is awarded a big grant to help her transform an abandoned lot, she gets no support. All is not lost however, her fellow artists and classmates support her cause and sign a petition in her favor. Plus, Jane gets a new secret admirer and gets the courage to tell the boy she likes how she feels. I enjoyed this one as much as the first.

Last up - Life As We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer. We are reading this one for our Parent-Child Book Discussion group and I just love it. A meteor is going to hit the moon, but Miranda isn't really that interested in it at the moment. She'd much rather think of her favorite skater's chances at the Olympics. But when that meteor turns out to be much larger than anyone anticipated and it knocks the moon out of its orbit - all hell breaks loose. That's when Miranda starts to pay attention. Earthquakes, tsunamis, erupting volcanoes and other natural disasters happen all around the world disrupting phone and electric service, food production, travel and more. Miranda and her family realize life as we knew it will never be the same again. This is a very scary story. The whole time I was reading I kept thinking "Should I have extra water and cans of soup in the closet? Do I know how to catch fish and hunt? Gee I wish I had a wood stove!" Since we're discussing this one at tonight's Parent Child Book Club the participating students have anxiously checked out the sequels, The Dead and the Gone and This World We Live In. I can't wait for them to be returned so I can check them out myself!

Much better tree!

I thought I'd share a picture of our MUCH healthier-looking Book Tree. The kids and I are reading a lot and it shows, We're running out of room on the wall for all the leaves/flowers/frogs/bugs/apples. But I think it looks great!

I'm also including a few pics of the display that was up in February for COSAP month (Children of Substance Abusing Parents). This is not something that children have any control over, but there is help.