Books June 2012

June has flown by, I have not read the pile of picture books on my den floor and need to get to those. Here's the list of adult books read in June. Mostly lighter reads than last month, but a few enlightening ones as well.

Lots of fun reads this month, so I decided to list them in rank order, hard to do, since they are such different genres. Will try to do better with postings in July!

1.     I've got you number by Sophie Kinsella

2. If I loved you, I would tell you this by Robin Black

3. Banishing Verona by Margot Levesey

4. The brutal telling by Louise Penny

5. Bel Canto by Anne Patchett

6. The handmaid's tale by Margaret Atwood

7. Whatever you love by Louise Doughty

8. Confessions of a shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella

9. Victims by Jonathan Kellermnan

10.         Gun games by Faye Kellerman

11.         Naughty in Nice by Rhys Bowen

12.         Yours, mine and ours by Maryjanice Davidson (did not finish)

1.     This is slapstick writing at its best. I loved this predictable romantic comedy because the comedy was anything but predictable! Read it, you will laugh outloud!

2.     Short stories that are so riveting, I wanted to know more about each of the characters. Black is comparable to Alice Munro, one of the greatest!

3.     An unusual love story told from the viewpoints of both star-crossed lovers, one of whom is a young man with autistic tendencies.

4.     The fifth Louise Penny mystery, good enough to eat! They may not be getting better, but they are certainly maintaining a high level of readability.

5.     I liked this book, read on the recommendation of my sister, but liked State of Wonder better; maybe Patchett’s books have that effect, the first one, whichever you read first, will always be the best.

6.     Never having read this before, I enjoyed it, although it is truly a scary look at one possible future for our country. All I can say is “Don’t let the bastards beat you down.”

7.     The story of a divorced woman who loses her daughter to an auto accident, her thoughts and actions for the first few months after her daugther’s death. This is well-written and extremely sad. Why do I read this stuff?

8.     Another Sophie Kinsella. I did not enjoy this nearly as much as I’ve Got Your Number, but it was still funny and a quick read.

9.     Psychological murder at its best. It may be that J. Kellerman is running out of stories to tell.

10. The wife tells tales, too. I do like the characters of Peter Decker and Rina Lazarus. They grow old gracefully, but will Kellerman ever let Peter retire?

11. A tongue in cheek romp through aristocratic life in the early 1900s. Fun, but nothing to write home about.

12. I thought I might like this, but could not finish reading it. Too many problems and no one to like. 

Books May 2012

Books- May 2012

1. Red mist by Patricia Cornwell

2. The marriage plot by Jeffrey Eugenides

3. Other waters by Eleni N. Gage

4. Night train by Clyde Edgerton

5. My life as a stunt boy by Janet Tashjian

6. Lady killer by Lisa Scottolone (audio book)

7. Patron saint of liars by Anne Patchett

8. Chomp by Carl Hiasson

9. The sleepy hollow family almanac by Kris d'agostino (did not complete)

10. We need to talk about Kevin by Lionel Shriver

1.     Any book by Patricia Cornwell is bound to be good. I think I have missed a few along the way, but have read most of the Kay Scarpetta novels. I am not sure how much further she can go with these characters. Too bad she did not make Lucy a more likeable character from the beginning, because it might be possible to do a spin-off if that were the case.

2.     This was for the Hamilton Library book club. It took a long time to get into it and the characters were not very likable. No one else finished the book; I guess it was too literary for us.

3.     I thought I would love this book. It was written in the first person about a young Indian-American woman dealing with the pressures of her job, family and relationships. But, I never quite got into it. Maybe because the author was not Indian, something was a little off.

4.     Back in my North Carolina days, I read Clyde Edgerton with a wide smile on my face. And this did make me laugh. But, I had trouble following the multiple characters. Some subtle (and not so subtle) digs at racism and some tongue in cheek. Just not at the top of my list.

5.     A sequel to My Life as a Book. Still a cute concept, but this book was not as good as the first one.

6.     I love to listen to Scottolone’s books. Not sure if they would work as well for me in print form, but for now, I’ll keep a lookout for these audio books at the library.

7.     My sister recommended more Anne Patchett and I did enjoy this. Some questions for Katie: when she married for the second time, why did Rose go through with it since she said she was destined to be married to a man she did not love? Why not just go back to the first man she did not love, since he was at least the father of the baby? Let’s talk!

8.     A book for kids about wild animals, reality TV and parents who beat their children, all done with a touch of light humor and realistic narration. Quick read.

9.     Could not get into this one. I read about the first 70 pages or so and then had to give it up. Did not like the style, tone or the characters.

10. This was a hard read. A mother is writing letters to her husband after their child murdered 9 people in the school gymnasium. Should she blame herself as the community did? Deep and disturbing, but worth the read?

Picture books May 2012

Picture book reviews

I have listed these in the order of my preference. However, I know that others may be drawn to books that I did not particularly care for, so check them all out. 

 

Green by Laura Vaccaro Seeger

Each two page spread is illustrated with a different shade of green, lime green, slow green, glow green, juxtaposed in a way to make a rhyme. The pictures are richly painted with deep textures, designed to hold the attention of even the youngest reader. In addition, each page has a small cutout, cleverly showing a color from the next or previous page. Thoughtful and evocative. This one goes on the grandson’s shelf.

Piggy Bunny by Rachel Vail, illustrated by Jeremy Tankard

Liam is a little piglet who wants to be an Easter Bunny. His siblings ridicule him and his parents do their best to discourage him. But, his grandparents get with the program and order him a bunny suit over the internet. Go grandparents! You rock!

Another Brother

by Matthew Cordell

Little Davy, a cartoonish sheep, gets to be an only child (lamb) for four years, then a succession of 12 brothers are born. The twelve younger brothers want nothing more than to imitate everything Davy does to his immense annoyance. Until they stop, and that is annoying, too. Davy is surprised in the end by a sister who continues the tradition of imitating her older brother. A nice book for siblings, even if you don’t have 14 children!

And then it’s spring by Julie Fogliano, illustrated by Erin E. Stead

A softly told and softly illustrated book about a little boy who plants seeds, and waits for them to sprout. The brown earth holds them in for several weeks and the wild animals do not heed the signs that say, “Do not stomp here.” But, in the end, spring prevails and green overtakes the brown.

Bird Talk: What Birds are Saying and Why by Lita Judge

A Beautifully illustrated book about bird songs, dances and mating behaviors. While not exactly the right book for story hour, this is a fascinating resource for children in the primary grades who want to know more about birds.

Kate and Pippin: An Unlikely Love Story by Martin Springett, Photographs by Isobel Springett

Pippin is a female fawn, found in the forest, by Isobel Springett. When Isobel puts Pippin next to Kate, a Great Dane, the two develop a special relationship. Although Pippin is fed and cared for on the farm, she does return to the wild. But, her friendship with Kate does not end and she periodically comes by to visit Kate, her surrogate mother.

Forever Young by Bob Dylan, illustrated by Paul Rogers

The classic Dylan song illustrated mostly with pictures of young men. Cleverly done and makes a good read, especially for those of us who grew up in the 60s. However, the illustrations may be too focused on males and not enough on females, who also can “build a ladder to the stars and climb every rung, … grow up to be righteous and grow up to be true.”

Leo Geo by Jon Chad

Leo Geo sets out to explore the inner workings of the earth, traveling from the surface in Argentina and ending on the other side of the earth in Taipei. While Leo spouts scientific facts throughout the cleverly designed, black and white cartoon style book, there are unacknowledged inconsistencies. Like, how can Leo survive the high temperature at the center of the earth, and why does he sometimes give the temperature in Celsius and sometimes in Fahrenheit? Unless you are a true science aficionado, you will find this book somewhat tedious.

Cool City by Sean Kenney

Sean Kenney is, according to the book flap, a “LEGO certified professional.” His city is pretty cool, and comes with some diagrams, building tips and a website where you can “order some extra LEGO pieces.”

Picture Book of the Month

Green by Laura Vaccaro Seeger

Each two page spread is illustrated with a different shade of green, lime green, slow green, glow green, juxtaposed in a way to make a rhyme. The pictures are richly painted with deep textures, designed to hold the attention of even the youngest reader. In addition, each page has a small cutout, cleverly showing a color from the next or previous page. Thoughtful and evocative. This one goes on the grandson’s shelf.