Tag Archives: book

Big Red Barn by Margaret Wise Brown and Felicia Bond

“By the big red barn in the great green field, there was a pink pig who was learning to squeal…”

Sorry, I see the book and the words just start rolling off my tongue, I can’t help it!

Ivy loved it as a baby and I read it so many times I accidentally memorized it. Then when Clara started reading books we pulled it out with the rest of the board books and it took about two times through before I had all the words back again.

Someone tell me why I was never able to master my times tables but I can memorize kids books on accident!

Regardless* of my math ineptitude this book has my favorite sort of sing song rhythm to it, making it easy to memorize (if you are into that sort of thing) and fun to read out loud.  As if that wasn’t enough to make one little book lovely the girls seem to really enjoy the super detailed illustrations (can you see the hose on the barn in the picture?).

Would I recommend it? Yes, both the kids and I agree on this one. Besides, I have it memorized and I don’t hate it, it’s got to be good.

*I was going to use irregardless in this sentence but thought I’d better look it up to see if it meant what I thought it meant. My dictionary had this to say about it:

…”The most frequently repeated remark about it is that “there is no such word.” There is such a word, however.” … “Its reputation has not risen over the years, and it is still a long way from general acceptance. Use regardless instead.”

So I did…

…but every time I’ve read though my draft I say irregardless in my head.

Birds by Kevin Henkes and Laura Dronzek

I loved this book. Laura Dronzek’s illustrations are perfect for the text, things like this…

“If there are lots of birds in one tree and they  all fly away at the same time, it looks like the tree yelled,”

“SURPRISE!”

Sadly neither of my kids seemed to agree with me. Ivy (3 years)was completely uninterested (too simple?) I could only get her to read it with my once, then I thought Clara (10 months) might like the pictures but she was also unenthusiastic. I think my kids are broken.

Would I recommend it? I’d like to but with two thumbs down from the actual kids in the house I’m not sure I can!

Fool's Fate by Robin Hobb

I’m not sure how much there really is to say about the third book in a trilogy, either you are going to read them all or you aren’t. Stopping after number two would be foolish and this one had dragons and love and concludes 5 books worth of material, if you’ve gone this far you better finish!

*This picture was shrunk so as not to hurt your eyes too badly. It’s bad, really bad, I have no idea how to take a picture of a black book with a shiny cover on it, sorry!*

Also to be a tad more technical and less sassy with my comments I thought Robin Hobb did an excellent job of pulling in secrets and plot lines from all over the last five books, unraveling them and then weaving them back up into a very nice final book.  Stuff was revisited I never thought to hear mention again and it made for a better ending than I was expecting!

Would I recommend it? Yes. I’ll say it one more time, Start with Assassins Apprentice, and just keep going, they are some pretty dang good books!

This Is Where I Leave You by Jonathan Tropper

This was my book clubs August book. In our discussion we dubbed it a boy book, and wished we had a a male view point on it. Lacking that insight, all you get is mine…

The book is crazy in an over the top, can that much crap really happen to one family, sort of way. Then just when you think that you can’t possible read any more about infidelities, dysfunctional relationships, and guilty childhoods someones testicles start on fire and it makes you laugh just enough to keep reading. Then you reach the end, and it is lame.

Would I recommend it? No. Since it’s a boy book  I’m curious what he other gender thinks.  If you are a man, and you’ve read it let me know!

Golden Fool by Robin Hobb

This was book two of the Tawny Man trilogy (see this for book one) and it  defiantly had a book two sort of feel.  Lots of stuff happens, you get thrown a few small bones of plot at the end, but overall not a lot gets resolved.  Not my favorite of hers so far but it’s not dulling my impatience while I wait for the next one!

Would I recommend it? Yes. Just be sure to read at least Fool’s Errand first if not the whole Farseer trilogy !

Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type by Doreen Cronin and Betsy Lewin

Would I recommend it? Yes! After a few false starts I’ve decided that whatever I say will not do this book justice, and it will ruin the fun of reading it. So, I’m not saying anything, you just need to get it, in fact even if you don’t have any kids as an excuse you should go find it. It’ll be worth it, I promise.

P.S. If you have also read it back me up in the comments!!!

Sizzling Sixteen by Janet Evanovich

This is the sixteenth book in a series and I think there is some fun, familiar comfort in reading a book like that.

You know the characters – inept bounty hunters, police men, sexy capable men in black, bad guys and Grandma Mauzer.

You know the general theme of things- inept bounty hunters will mess up trying to get bad guys, sexy capable men in black will help bail them out, police will be involved, Grandma Mauzer will cause a scene in a funeral home, cars will get ruined, donuts and fried chicken will be consumed.

Then there are a few surprises – alligators, hobbits, lucky bottles.

Really how could you go wrong?

Would I recommend it? Yes, not the best of the 16 (My personal favorites are 10 & 12) but good!

P.S. These make the best adult read aloud books !

Who Fears Death by Nnedi Okorafor

I read this book after Pat Rothfuss recommended it in his blog this was not the first book I have read after his recommendations and so far I have yet to be disappointed.  This was not necessarily a book I loved while I was reading it, yet I couldn’t put it down.  Spanning topics like, women’s roles, desert life, racism, war, female circumcision, religion and death it was a heavy read.  Once I put it down I couldn’t stop thinking about it…including the nightmares it gave me.

Would I recommend it? Yes, nightmares and all it was unusual in a good way.

Fool’s Errand by Robin Hobb

This is a fantasy book, hopefully that won’t put you off, they are my favorite genre so while this is the first that I’ve read since starting the blog there are bound to be more of them.  Robin Hobb (who also writes books under the name Megan Lindholm neither of which are her real name!) is an awesome writer but let me try to explain what I loved best about this book.

This is the first book in the Tawny Man trilogy which is a trilogy that follows The Farseer trilogy.  Sometimes when you start reading trilogy’s that follow trilogy’s (and for those of you who don’t read much fantasy that isn’t uncommon) by the time you hit the first book of the second trilogy you have a list of characters that goes halfway down your arm and you hardly get to hear about some of your old favorites. Or there are authors who just keep cranking out books and by the time you reach book 12 you have three thousand characters an entire world of intrigue, plotting, religions and wars that only really serious fans can possibly keep straight and then you up and die before the last two books are finished leaving it up to a different author to finish up for you. And if you think that is some crazy story I made up check our Robert Jordan’s Wheel of Time books, The Eye of the World is the first, and a great book, just don’t say I didn’t warn you!  On the other hand reading Fool’s Errand was more like sitting back down with old friends.

Would I recommend it? Yes, but first you really need to read Assassins Apprentice, and then Royal Assassin and then Assassin’s Quest, and I promise they are worth it! Also I’m sure her Liveship Traders trilogy factors into all this somewhere but they are still on my to read list.