tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-73947568144463905462024-03-13T17:01:24.031-07:00Notes From the Bedside TableRene' is a children's book buyer at University Book Store in Seattle, Washington. Rene' Kirkpatrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11128708635517763899noreply@blogger.comBlogger255125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7394756814446390546.post-69845134959679839862016-05-14T15:27:00.000-07:002016-05-14T15:27:03.331-07:00Bored. Bored bored bored. Bored.<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Sunrise today was at 5:32 a.m., sunrise will be at 8:40 p.m.! Last Monday night, when I got home from bookgroup at about 9:45, the sky was still ruddy over the Olympic mountains to the west. Long twilights are a true joy. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-561SqMyzjHM/VzeHJKUDAAI/AAAAAAAABwE/WuZjdqu9-JM80DL1_09WyNrALP3_6k_gQCKgB/s1600/IMG_7760.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-561SqMyzjHM/VzeHJKUDAAI/AAAAAAAABwE/WuZjdqu9-JM80DL1_09WyNrALP3_6k_gQCKgB/s200/IMG_7760.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View from the window where my computer is living this week</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Today is a quiet, wet, late spring day, highs in the mid-60s; yesterday was blue skies, mid-80s, sweaty weather. We are having our downstairs bathroom remodeled and D and I are hunkering in our upstairs rooms for the next 5 days. We've both taken vacation time to be here for this so we can let the workers in and out, but it doesn't feel very vacationy. It was really a sudden decision - dry rot under the toilet dictates when something like this happens - so I still have a rep appointment on Wednesday and book deliveries to schools for the Northwest Literacy Foundation. I've been in contact with work a couple of times. Sigh,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I've set up my laptop in the bedroom on a tv tray, radio in the background, to work on book orders for the fall season. But, truly, looking at all that data, scrolling through book after book can be daunting. One publisher has almost a thousand titles! I don't have to look at them all in depth, but most take three different key strokes and a lot of track ball moves. My butt hurts and I really want to weed the path that runs along the west side of the house. But it's raining.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">And with a house full of unread books, and uncleared shelves and closets, I shouldn't be bored. But I am. </span><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<a href="https://images.booksense.com/images/513/375/9780765375513.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://images.booksense.com/images/513/375/9780765375513.jpg" width="131" /></a><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">So, I guess I am going to drag that stack of b</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">ooks on the bedside table onto the bed and see what screams, "READ ME!!!". I saw a new book in the store the other day and ordered it up from the library: </span><b style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Luna: New Moon </b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">(Ballantine)</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">, by</span><i style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> Ian McDonald</i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">. The first few pages were gripping and maybe if I read it when I'm trying not to go to sleep, I will have better luck with the rest of it. It should be good; any book that starts with a moon run (out in the airless atmosphere, 10 seconds, unprotected) ought to be. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<a href="https://images.booksense.com/images/books/981/424/FC9780545424981.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://images.booksense.com/images/books/981/424/FC9780545424981.JPG" width="131" /></a><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">There are six other books in that stack including <i><a href="http://www.maggiestiefvater.com/novels/">Maggie Stiefvater's</a> </i><b>Raven King </b>(Scholastic) which I have been hoarding for a day just like this one. It's like saving that last piece of chocolate for the perfect moment. Will that moment ever come? Will the chocolate just go stale? Am I just afraid that this really will be the last book in the series so I don't want to read it because then it really will be over?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<a href="https://images.booksense.com/images/books/799/205/FC9781616205799.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://images.booksense.com/images/books/799/205/FC9781616205799.JPG" /></a><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">New to the stack, as of last Thursday, is the third book in the <b>Jackaby</b> series, <b>Ghostly Echoes</b> (Algonquin), by Springfield, Oregon middle school teacher, <i><a href="https://rwillritter.wordpress.com/">William Ritter</a></i>. This series is so much fun and so funny this book might just be the perfect diversion for a gray and cold afternoon.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Well, when I finally make that decision to spend the next few hours submerged in a completely world, I'll let you know how it went.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
Rene' Kirkpatrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11128708635517763899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7394756814446390546.post-88011011822356640682015-04-11T19:45:00.000-07:002015-04-11T19:45:11.178-07:00Spring and Seveneves by Stephenson<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
Sunrise was at 6:29, sunset will be 7:53. I love coming home in the daylight.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-WgTtrPpRh9Y/VSnKLpOuBjI/AAAAAAAABvE/H0fqYlFMFWQ/s1600/authors%2Band%2Bmore%2Bmarch%2B2014%2B010.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-WgTtrPpRh9Y/VSnKLpOuBjI/AAAAAAAABvE/H0fqYlFMFWQ/s1600/authors%2Band%2Bmore%2Bmarch%2B2014%2B010.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></a>Ah, the true harbinger of Spring, the lilac bush. Our bushes are really old ones, planted long before we ever lived in our house, and the oldest man on our street remembers picking them for his mom when he was a little boy.<br />
<br />
I've finally realized that trimming them works wonders for the following year's blooms, and I really hate the suckers that spring up and have to be clipped at dirt level...lots of spiders and earwigs and multilegged beasties at dirt level.<br />
<br />
Every year, just as winter seems to be a forever thing, the hard, curled fist-like blossoms emerge. Sometimes they appear in snow, but they appear! And every year, at Easter, they are almost in full bloom. No matter when Easter happens, our trees are in bloom. With the tulips underneath, our yard can look a little like an Easter basket. It's really pretty and the scent is everywhere.<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fovVg5TJeh0/VSnNgvJbdfI/AAAAAAAABvQ/cOdq4g1sD-w/s1600/authors%2Band%2Bmore%2Bmarch%2B2014%2B042.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fovVg5TJeh0/VSnNgvJbdfI/AAAAAAAABvQ/cOdq4g1sD-w/s1600/authors%2Band%2Bmore%2Bmarch%2B2014%2B042.JPG" height="149" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looking forward to reading this on 4/3</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-JfCaQ-dtG3A/VSnJ19ZwQjI/AAAAAAAABu8/xnFQbaKgr0w/s1600/authors%2Band%2Bmore%2Bmarch%2B2014%2B061.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-JfCaQ-dtG3A/VSnJ19ZwQjI/AAAAAAAABu8/xnFQbaKgr0w/s1600/authors%2Band%2Bmore%2Bmarch%2B2014%2B061.JPG" height="149" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Need a few more minutes, please! 4/10</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I just spent the last week reading <b>Neal Stephenson<i>'</i>s</b> latest book, <i><b>Seveneves</b></i>, to be published on 5/19/15, with a one day laydown date. That means that all stores get the books on the day before they can be put out on the shelf - I love one day laydown dates! <br />
<br />
<br />
<i><b>Seveneves</b></i> has the very bestfirst line I've read in years and I dare you to stop reading when you get your copy in your hands: <br />
<b> </b><br />
<b>"The moon blew up without warning and for no apparent reason."</b><br />
<br />
When the moon explodes, the world starts to end. Billions of people are going to die, only a very few will be "safe" on the International Space Station, and there isn't a lot of time to build more habitat for those who will be the future of humanity. <br />
<br />
As the moon's pieces settle into an orbit around the earth, they joggle and bump, breaking up into smaller bits, some dropping into the atmosphere where they slam into the ground. Eventually, within a year or so, the surface of Earth will become absolutely unlivable, burning air, no water, cleared of soil and humans by tsunamis, meteors, and volcanoes. As rocks and space debris begin to grind away into dust, forming the White Sky, other rocks will be captured by the atmosphere's drag and The Hard Rain will fall. For the next almost 5,000 years, what is left of humanity will evolve in space. <br />
<br />
What a great adventure this book was! Great storyline, fabulous characters, good science, <i><b>Seveneves </b></i>is something to be lived in rather than just read. It took me a WEEK to read - long enough to feel as if I really knew the people who pretty much held the whole world in their hands.<br />
<br />
Anyone who has an interest in space living, any of the sciences, environmental issues, big adventure, anyone who wants to be swept up in a story played out on a truly epic scale will not be able to put it down. I loved it, gave it five stars, can't wait to start sharing it with others! <br />
<br />
As always, please shop your local independent bookstore and if you don't have one, Eagle Harbor Book Co. would be happy to be yours (206-842-5332).<br />
<br />
(<i><b>Seveneves </b>will be published on May 19, 2015, by Wm Morrow and Company. $35.00. No recompense was received for this review.</i>)<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Rene' Kirkpatrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11128708635517763899noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7394756814446390546.post-79052126238436270532015-01-10T17:53:00.001-08:002015-01-10T17:53:11.088-08:00It's Spademan, Spademan All the Time!<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-WlGmPEkpqEc/VLGQ0EhsYII/AAAAAAAABsg/RvGekFez2pQ/s1600/January%2B2015%2Bfirst%2Bweek%2B007.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-WlGmPEkpqEc/VLGQ0EhsYII/AAAAAAAABsg/RvGekFez2pQ/s1600/January%2B2015%2Bfirst%2Bweek%2B007.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Crows in the trees across the street, huddled up in the cold.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:View>Normal</w:View>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:TrackMoves/>
<w:TrackFormatting/>
<w:PunctuationKerning/>
<w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/>
<w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>
<w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent>
<w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>
<w:DoNotPromoteQF/>
<w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther>
<w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian>
<w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript>
<w:Compatibility>
<w:BreakWrappedTables/>
<w:SnapToGridInCell/>
<w:WrapTextWithPunct/>
<w:UseAsianBreakRules/>
<w:DontGrowAutofit/>
<w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/>
<w:DontVertAlignCellWithSp/>
<w:DontBreakConstrainedForcedTables/>
<w:DontVertAlignInTxbx/>
<w:Word11KerningPairs/>
<w:CachedColBalance/>
</w:Compatibility>
<m:mathPr>
<m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/>
<m:brkBin m:val="before"/>
<m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/>
<m:smallFrac m:val="off"/>
<m:dispDef/>
<m:lMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:rMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/>
<m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/>
<m:intLim m:val="subSup"/>
<m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/>
</m:mathPr></w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]-->Sunrise was at 7:56, sunset will be at 4:38 pm. Tomorrow! Sunrise will occur one minute earlier than today, tomorrow we will have 1:42 more daylight than today. Sunrise will happen at 7:55! Calloo Callay! I've loved walking to work in the dark, last week I got off the ferry in Bainbridge and IT WAS STILL DARK! It feels so special to be out at that time of day- if you've ever worked the graveyard shift you know it's different, the people are different, quieter, the very air is different from what those who work in daylight hours experience. We notice the wind pick up as the sun rises - some people never feel that happen. I'll miss the dark when it's daylight as the alarm goes off. But the earth will keep spinning and it will happen all over again.<br />
<br />
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
DefSemiHidden="true" DefQFormat="false" DefPriority="99"
LatentStyleCount="267">
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="0" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Normal"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="heading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="35" QFormat="true" Name="caption"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="10" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" Name="Default Paragraph Font"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="11" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtitle"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="22" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Strong"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="20" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="59" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Table Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Placeholder Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="No Spacing"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Revision"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="34" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="List Paragraph"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="29" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="30" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="19" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="21" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="31" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="32" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="33" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Book Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="37" Name="Bibliography"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" QFormat="true" Name="TOC Heading"/>
</w:LatentStyles>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]>
<style>
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-qformat:yes;
mso-style-parent:"";
mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin-top:0in;
mso-para-margin-right:0in;
mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt;
mso-para-margin-left:0in;
line-height:115%;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;}
</style>
<![endif]-->
<br />
I LOVE science fiction, speculative fiction, anything that takes our current
time and knowledge and uses it to change what we expect the future to be.
Science fiction takes what we know now and expands it into the far future,
mostly skipping all the in-between years inventing the various things we need
to survive a changed world, enough time to evolve into different beings, time
to move off our earth.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Science fiction
expands where we are to where we will be.<br />
<br />
Speculative fiction moves us only slightly into the future - our world, us,
we are still recognizable, things have changed just enough to still be familiar
but different enough to feel wrong.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
really like reading about these shorter jumps into the future, you can trace
the journey we would take to get to the point where these stories take
place.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
<br />
50 years ago,<i><b> Fahrenheit 451</b></i> might have been science fiction, now it’s
speculative: we have walls of television screens and are able to interact with
the actors.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s only a matter of time
before we can live and work, alone, sustained by outside forces called for by
punching only a few buttons…oh, wait, sorry, already there! Green trucks full
of groceries, brown trucks full of everything else.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-hU6TZQsQ804/VLHV-BMbEeI/AAAAAAAABsw/vxyWjf0uS0w/s1600/Spademan%2BCover.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-hU6TZQsQ804/VLHV-BMbEeI/AAAAAAAABsw/vxyWjf0uS0w/s1600/Spademan%2BCover.JPG" /></a></div>
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ubcmCVmQdeI/VLHWAtYaRLI/AAAAAAAABs4/-wV5k_-QOIg/s1600/Near%2BEnemy%2Bcover.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ubcmCVmQdeI/VLHWAtYaRLI/AAAAAAAABs4/-wV5k_-QOIg/s1600/Near%2BEnemy%2Bcover.JPG" /></a><br />
<b>Adam Sternbergh’s</b> series about a massively damaged New York City is a great
look at how a single, admittedly huge, disaster can change the course of the
future.<br />
<br />
A few years from now, a dirty bomb was dropped in Times Square and a series
of bombs were released in the subways and on the bridges severing Manhattan
from the rest of the city.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Millions were
killed in the fallout over the years and thousands were killed and left buried
in the rubble under the cities, many more died as the infrastructure fell
apart.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The wealthy “tap in” to a virtual
reality that takes them away from a ravaged world, nurses caring for their
physical needs, others tap in as they can afford it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Limnosphere is addictive and insidious,
you can get anything in there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you
have the money.<br />
<br />
Out of the destruction comes Spademan, a garbageman before the events, a
hitman after.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To Spademan, garbage is
garbage is garbage, give him a name, he will take it out to the curb.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This way of life works well for him since he
doesn’t have anything else to lose, his wife died in the bombings, he spent way
too much time in the limnosphere, he drinks too much – after he pulled himself
out of despair, he decided to keep the streets clean in his own special way.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He asks no questions, he just doesn’t
care.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Until his latest client points him
at the daughter of an evangelical preacher.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Obviously, she’s done something Daddy can’t abide so she has to go
missing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
<br />
I LOVE this very noir mystery series set in the near future.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Spademan’s world is pretty well contained
within the greater Manhattan area, the lack of complete bridges keeps most of
the action on the island, so the world building (un-building?) feels true and
pretty darned creepy and the Limnosphere is a really cool, but really scary,
invention.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We already know what virtual
reality is like, we know that people spend a lot of time in games, but what if
you could design a world so much better than anything outside your head, you
never wanted to leave?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Business is
conducted, beautiful people are your friends, you can do whatever you want in
the Limnosphere, including murder.<br />
<br />
With <i><b><a href="http://www.eagleharborbooks.com/book/9780385349017">Shovel Ready</a> </b></i>and <b><i><a href="http://www.eagleharborbooks.com/book/9780385349024">Near Enemy,</a> </i>Adam Sternbergh</b> has created a very dark world with an anti-hero we will all
want to believe in.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
<br />
(Book number one is <i><b>Shovel Ready</b></i>, available now in paperback.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>$14.00.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Book number two is <i><b>Near Enemy</b></i>, available January 13, 2015, in hardcover
for $24.00. I don’t know when number three will be available, but I want it
NOW!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Random House publishes these books
under the imprints of Broadway Books and Crown Publishing.)<br />
<br />
As always, you can give us a call, come by, or go to <a href="http://www.eagleharborbooks.com/">http://www.eagleharborbooks.com/</a>Eagle Harbor Book
Company’s website to get copies of any of these books.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are happy to keep you in reading material!<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
Rene' Kirkpatrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11128708635517763899noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7394756814446390546.post-61481035660099120172015-01-02T11:11:00.000-08:002015-01-02T11:13:30.218-08:00The Family Fletcher Rules!<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:View>Normal</w:View>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:TrackMoves/>
<w:TrackFormatting/>
<w:PunctuationKerning/>
<w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/>
<w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>
<w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent>
<w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>
<w:DoNotPromoteQF/>
<w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther>
<w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian>
<w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript>
<w:Compatibility>
<w:BreakWrappedTables/>
<w:SnapToGridInCell/>
<w:WrapTextWithPunct/>
<w:UseAsianBreakRules/>
<w:DontGrowAutofit/>
<w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/>
<w:DontVertAlignCellWithSp/>
<w:DontBreakConstrainedForcedTables/>
<w:DontVertAlignInTxbx/>
<w:Word11KerningPairs/>
<w:CachedColBalance/>
</w:Compatibility>
<w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel>
<m:mathPr>
<m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/>
<m:brkBin m:val="before"/>
<m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/>
<m:smallFrac m:val="off"/>
<m:dispDef/>
<m:lMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:rMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/>
<m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/>
<m:intLim m:val="subSup"/>
<m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/>
</m:mathPr></w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]--><br />
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
DefSemiHidden="true" DefQFormat="false" DefPriority="99"
LatentStyleCount="267">
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="0" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Normal"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="heading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="35" QFormat="true" Name="caption"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="10" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" Name="Default Paragraph Font"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="11" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtitle"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="22" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Strong"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="20" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="59" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Table Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Placeholder Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="No Spacing"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Revision"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="34" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="List Paragraph"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="29" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="30" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="19" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="21" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="31" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="32" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="33" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Book Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="37" Name="Bibliography"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" QFormat="true" Name="TOC Heading"/>
</w:LatentStyles>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]>
<style>
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-qformat:yes;
mso-style-parent:"";
mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin-top:0in;
mso-para-margin-right:0in;
mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt;
mso-para-margin-left:0in;
line-height:115%;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;}
</style>
<![endif]-->
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-iEWukceyJf0/VKbrh_YE_bI/AAAAAAAABsI/amFbKrCEU5A/s1600/December%2Bsolstice%2B2014%2B027.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-iEWukceyJf0/VKbrh_YE_bI/AAAAAAAABsI/amFbKrCEU5A/s1600/December%2Bsolstice%2B2014%2B027.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sunrise from the ferry, 7:20 am December 31</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Sunrise today was at 7:58, Sunset will be at 4:29. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Ah, it’s a new year – it’s cloudy and cold today, it looks
like rain, but yesterday, the actual New Year’s Day, was cold and clear and
stunningly beautiful.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>D and I walked at
Seward Park and watched the birds and then watched football.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Go Ducks!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It was an almost perfect way to start the year.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Resolutions?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am
going to read at least one non-fiction adult book, one fiction adult book a
month, and fill in the rest with genre books (mysteries, science fiction,
romance) and teen and kid’s books.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
realize that I’m missing a lot of really good literature out there and I should
truly widen my views.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m looking
forward to the challenge of not only reading all these books, but writing about
them in a timely way, too!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-rK1Numx0yu4/VKbrqyEa0bI/AAAAAAAABsQ/yHxh6pZ7Cs8/s1600/Family%2BFletcher%2Bcover.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-rK1Numx0yu4/VKbrqyEa0bI/AAAAAAAABsQ/yHxh6pZ7Cs8/s1600/Family%2BFletcher%2Bcover.JPG" height="200" width="140" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I just discovered a new favorite book, thanks to my new
friend, editor Sharyn November, <a href="http://www.eagleharborbooks.com/book/9780385376525"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Misadventures of the Family Fletcher</i></b></a>,
a big rambunctious family filled with boys and two dads, soccer games, mud and
dirt, new schools, new friends (both real and not), and lots of books and
love.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There’s a curmudgeon next door
(who has his own issues), neighbors who care about the family, a skunk, and
parties and handmade skating rinks….if you love the<a href="http://www.eagleharborbooks.com/book/9780440420477"> Penderwicks</a>, you will love
the Family Fletcher.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The Family Fletcher is an alternative one, although, can you really
say that, today?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We’ve been living with
all kinds of families in our neighborhoods for years…But I think this is one of
the first mainstream middle grade books I’ve read about a family with same sex
parents (and not just one family with same sex parents, but TWO!) who are not
shy about showing their affection for each other and their children.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When they introduce themselves to new
teachers or neighbors, they are clear about who they are and what they decided
to do with their lives.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One of the best
scenes is where Frog, age 6, explained to new friends where the babies in the
family came from and how their dads decided to get married.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This book is so much fun! <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I think boys are going to love it and I think
families will love reading it out loud (oh, yes, you will recognize yourselves
in this book). It’s funny and heartwarming, I had tears in my eyes a couple of
times, I snorted once and laughed out loud a lot.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The dads really have their hands full and the
boys are boys who love what boys love.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The chapter heads are notes from the dads to the kids reminding them of
chores or things to do and they are hysterical.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Give yourself a break and read <i><b>The Misadventures of the
Family Fletcher</b></i>, by <b>Dana Alison Levy</b>. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You will have such a good time! <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ms. Levy: <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Please write more stories about the Fletchers!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">Please support your local bookshop if you have one, if you don't have one,<a href="http://www.eagleharborbooks.com/"> Eagle Harbor Book Company</a> would be happy to fill that empty space. Everyone needs a book community and we'd love to be yours. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
(Delacorte Books for Young Readers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ages 8+.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Available now.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>$15.99.)</div>
Rene' Kirkpatrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11128708635517763899noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7394756814446390546.post-3116567812266180532014-12-20T09:07:00.003-08:002014-12-20T09:09:04.555-08:00YAY for THE PENDERWICKS! <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Kh5GJFsvEOs/VJWqCxoWeDI/AAAAAAAABr4/yZ0aClOiu2s/s1600/December%2B2014%2B066.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Kh5GJFsvEOs/VJWqCxoWeDI/AAAAAAAABr4/yZ0aClOiu2s/s1600/December%2B2014%2B066.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></a></div>
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:View>Normal</w:View>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:TrackMoves/>
<w:TrackFormatting/>
<w:PunctuationKerning/>
<w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/>
<w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>
<w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent>
<w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>
<w:DoNotPromoteQF/>
<w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther>
<w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian>
<w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript>
<w:Compatibility>
<w:BreakWrappedTables/>
<w:SnapToGridInCell/>
<w:WrapTextWithPunct/>
<w:UseAsianBreakRules/>
<w:DontGrowAutofit/>
<w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/>
<w:DontVertAlignCellWithSp/>
<w:DontBreakConstrainedForcedTables/>
<w:DontVertAlignInTxbx/>
<w:Word11KerningPairs/>
<w:CachedColBalance/>
</w:Compatibility>
<m:mathPr>
<m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/>
<m:brkBin m:val="before"/>
<m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/>
<m:smallFrac m:val="off"/>
<m:dispDef/>
<m:lMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:rMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/>
<m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/>
<m:intLim m:val="subSup"/>
<m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/>
</m:mathPr></w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]-->Sunrise today was at 7:54, sunrise will be at 4:20. This is a photo from the Bainbridge Island side of my commute, looking back towards Seattle, taken a couple of weeks ago, just as the sun rose. Today, well, tomorrow, I'll get off the ferry and the sun will be much farther south, behind the bit of land off to the right, and I'll already be at work before the rises. Happy Solstice! Monday morning, we'll have an extra second of daylight.<br />
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
DefSemiHidden="true" DefQFormat="false" DefPriority="99"
LatentStyleCount="267">
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="0" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Normal"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="heading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="35" QFormat="true" Name="caption"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="10" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" Name="Default Paragraph Font"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="11" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtitle"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="22" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Strong"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="20" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="59" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Table Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Placeholder Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="No Spacing"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Revision"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="34" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="List Paragraph"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="29" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="30" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="19" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="21" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="31" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="32" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="33" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Book Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="37" Name="Bibliography"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" QFormat="true" Name="TOC Heading"/>
</w:LatentStyles>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]>
<style>
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-qformat:yes;
mso-style-parent:"";
mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin-top:0in;
mso-para-margin-right:0in;
mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt;
mso-para-margin-left:0in;
line-height:115%;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;}
</style>
<![endif]-->
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
When the nights are so long, when you need to feel a little less lonely or need a little more light in your life, stories can help. And......Ta DAH:<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>The Penderwicks are coming, the Penderwicks are coming!</b><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Oh, how I have missed them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s been a long couple of years between
books in this great series about the Penderwick sisters and their little
brother, Ben, and the assorted animals that live with them. These books are like walking into a long awaited hug from old friends.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wALWYGdPmGQ/VICcNUa15qI/AAAAAAAABro/jK5OtJWuZ_k/s1600/penderwicks%2Bspring%2Bcover.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wALWYGdPmGQ/VICcNUa15qI/AAAAAAAABro/jK5OtJWuZ_k/s1600/penderwicks%2Bspring%2Bcover.JPG" /></a>I just finished<i><b> Penderwicks in Spring</b></i>, by <i>Jeanne Birdsall</i>, the
penultimate book in the series, and I am already sad that there is only one more
to come, probably in two years.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>WHY DO I
NOT SAVE THINGS FOR LATER!!!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This book
came in the mail and I read it that day!!! <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was like chocolate – I couldn’t save it for
later, I kept thinking about it so I swallowed it all in one sitting.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now I have to wait for SOOOOO
long for the next one!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
If you haven’t read this series for younger readers, you are
in for such a treat.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They are the
perfect binge books for a rainy day…or a sunny one.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Or a sick day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Well, okay, they are good anytime.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Penderwicks are a loyal and honorable
family, funny and feisty, filled with all the foibles any group with 4 girls, a
dog and a rabbit would have. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Dj_MKcoWXJA/VICb3fkwfcI/AAAAAAAABrQ/xYr8QsXImak/s1600/penderwicks%2Bcover.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Dj_MKcoWXJA/VICb3fkwfcI/AAAAAAAABrQ/xYr8QsXImak/s1600/penderwicks%2Bcover.JPG" /></a>They are the perfect books to insist on sharing with younger readers,
mostly so the adults can actually finish them!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>A lot of moms tell me they start reading them aloud and then the kids
take them because they can’t stand to wait to see what happens next.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The adults have to sneak them out of
backpacks and slide them out from under pillows so THEY can read them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-bOFLRKz1tUE/VICcLksecbI/AAAAAAAABrg/hizfKwAopOU/s1600/penderwicks%2Bgardam%2Bcover.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-bOFLRKz1tUE/VICcLksecbI/AAAAAAAABrg/hizfKwAopOU/s1600/penderwicks%2Bgardam%2Bcover.JPG" /></a>The books take place in current day but the kids play
outside and have many adventures, only stopping in to use a computer to check
on a fact or to write school papers. They feel very old-fashioned in that respect:
lots of playing outside, reading, having important discussions with family and
friends.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> It's not all fairies and light, though: Mom died just after Batty, the youngest Penderwick, the one with wings in the first book, was born, Dad is a little lonely and works a lot, they aren't wealthy. But, they have each other to play with and are eager to make friends, to add more fun to their lives. The oldest Penderwick, Rosalind, is 12 when the series begins and is just beginning to notice boys which allows the series accessibility to an older reader. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qvjvTZNxxHU/VICcJiEMZFI/AAAAAAAABrY/kExsIOtt5rU/s1600/Penderwicks%2BMouette%2Bcover.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qvjvTZNxxHU/VICcJiEMZFI/AAAAAAAABrY/kExsIOtt5rU/s1600/Penderwicks%2BMouette%2Bcover.JPG" /></a>The girls are older now, in <i><b>Penderwicks in Spring</b></i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Batty is in 4<sup>th</sup> grade, Ben is in 2<sup>nd</sup>
and newest Penderwick, Lydia, is just about two.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Parents are happy, kids are okay, some are in
college, the Geiger boys are coming home, Ben is all about digging up rocks, Jeffrey's coming home for Batty's birthday,
Lydia just wants to be wherever Ben is, and Batty has started a dog walking
business. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There are some bouncy rough
spots in the lives in the houses on Gardam Street, but mostly everything is good,
until Batty accidentally hears Skye spilling a secret that she’s been holding
forever.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">If you loved <i>Noel Streatfield</i>, or <i>E. Nesbit's</i> <i><b>The Railway Children</b></i>, you and your kids will love the Penderwicks, too. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I can’t wait to start sharing this book with everyone!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><i><b>Pend</b><b>erwicks in Spring </b></i>will be available
March 24, 2015.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>$16.99.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Random House.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Ages:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Everyone!<br />
<br />
Give your local bookshop a call to reserve your copies now. <i><b> Penderwicks in Spring </b></i>will be out the first Tuesday after the Spring Equinox, also a perfect time to read these lovely books.<br />
<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
Rene' Kirkpatrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11128708635517763899noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7394756814446390546.post-23399687428119832362014-11-24T18:31:00.001-08:002014-11-24T18:32:53.164-08:00What a Book! I Remember You<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:View>Normal</w:View>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:TrackMoves/>
<w:TrackFormatting/>
<w:PunctuationKerning/>
<w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/>
<w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>
<w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent>
<w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>
<w:DoNotPromoteQF/>
<w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther>
<w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian>
<w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript>
<w:Compatibility>
<w:BreakWrappedTables/>
<w:SnapToGridInCell/>
<w:WrapTextWithPunct/>
<w:UseAsianBreakRules/>
<w:DontGrowAutofit/>
<w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/>
<w:DontVertAlignCellWithSp/>
<w:DontBreakConstrainedForcedTables/>
<w:DontVertAlignInTxbx/>
<w:Word11KerningPairs/>
<w:CachedColBalance/>
</w:Compatibility>
<w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel>
<m:mathPr>
<m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/>
<m:brkBin m:val="before"/>
<m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/>
<m:smallFrac m:val="off"/>
<m:dispDef/>
<m:lMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:rMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/>
<m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/>
<m:intLim m:val="subSup"/>
<m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/>
</m:mathPr></w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]-->
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:View>Normal</w:View>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:TrackMoves/>
<w:TrackFormatting/>
<w:PunctuationKerning/>
<w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/>
<w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>
<w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent>
<w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>
<w:DoNotPromoteQF/>
<w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther>
<w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian>
<w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript>
<w:Compatibility>
<w:BreakWrappedTables/>
<w:SnapToGridInCell/>
<w:WrapTextWithPunct/>
<w:UseAsianBreakRules/>
<w:DontGrowAutofit/>
<w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/>
<w:DontVertAlignCellWithSp/>
<w:DontBreakConstrainedForcedTables/>
<w:DontVertAlignInTxbx/>
<w:Word11KerningPairs/>
<w:CachedColBalance/>
</w:Compatibility>
<w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel>
<m:mathPr>
<m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/>
<m:brkBin m:val="before"/>
<m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/>
<m:smallFrac m:val="off"/>
<m:dispDef/>
<m:lMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:rMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/>
<m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/>
<m:intLim m:val="subSup"/>
<m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/>
</m:mathPr></w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]--><br />
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
DefSemiHidden="true" DefQFormat="false" DefPriority="99"
LatentStyleCount="267">
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="0" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Normal"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="heading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="35" QFormat="true" Name="caption"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="10" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" Name="Default Paragraph Font"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="11" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtitle"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="22" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Strong"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="20" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="59" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Table Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Placeholder Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="No Spacing"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Revision"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="34" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="List Paragraph"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="29" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="30" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="19" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="21" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="31" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="32" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="33" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Book Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="37" Name="Bibliography"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" QFormat="true" Name="TOC Heading"/>
</w:LatentStyles>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]>
<style>
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-qformat:yes;
mso-style-parent:"";
mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin-top:0in;
mso-para-margin-right:0in;
mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt;
mso-para-margin-left:0in;
line-height:115%;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;}
</style>
<![endif]-->
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_cTIqtMuJvI/VHPoYJgTOgI/AAAAAAAABrA/yBOpV07lduk/s1600/November%2B2014%2Bpics%2Band%2Bbooks%2B102.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_cTIqtMuJvI/VHPoYJgTOgI/AAAAAAAABrA/yBOpV07lduk/s1600/November%2B2014%2Bpics%2Band%2Bbooks%2B102.JPG" height="200" width="149" /></a></div>
Sunrise was at 7:28, sunset was at 4:24. What a rainy day it was.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Water rushing
down both sides of Rainier at 6:15 am<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span>, four feet out from the curbs on both sides, water
streaming down all the streets and parking lots to add to the depths, the
drains completely overwhelmed, more water going over the drains than into
them. All I could think of was “rain gardens, rain
gardens, rain gardens”! <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span>Exhilarating!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
<br />
<br />
Well, it's a good thing the ferry just <u>stops</u> on the other side. I was
reading <i><b>I Remember You</b></i>, by<b> Cathleen Davitt Bell</b>, and completely missed ALL the
tells that I needed to get off the ferry: the warnings to get to your car,
"walk on passengers must disembark", the bumps as we docked, the
bridge coming down, the silence as I suddenly realized that I was the only one
left except for the ferry folk coming to make sure no one's sleeping in a
booth. It is a REALLY good book!<br />
<br />
<i><b>
</b></i><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0tpD-1Fi7_8/VHPmzSMqE7I/AAAAAAAABq0/iJyHt1NOvDs/s1600/i%2Bremember%2Byou%2Bcover.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0tpD-1Fi7_8/VHPmzSMqE7I/AAAAAAAABq0/iJyHt1NOvDs/s1600/i%2Bremember%2Byou%2Bcover.JPG" /></a><i><b>I Remember You</b></i> is a YA book about a couple of seventeen
years-old. They are both pretty sure they know how the rest of their
lives will play out: He will play hockey and then join the marines, she
will go to college and become a lawyer. But when they first meet, Lucas
tells Juliet that he remembers her. He remembers their first kiss, the smell of
her hair, how her college years will go. Juliet is more than a little
worried that Lucas could be crazy or psychic but he says it's not that: he's
already lived this life with her and everything is a memory of their past and
their lives together.<br />
<br />
When it comes to trying to explain why she is so attracted to Lucas, as
different from each other as they are, she can't tell anyone the truth, it's
just too weird and unwieldy a story, all this talk of her future and his past,
his breaking up with her (and his explanation about why and when he’ll do
that), the reasons why he might be remembering his life with her…All she can do
is love him. And she does, and we do - he's the perfect book crush.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He is sweet
and caring, passes the hockey puck to everyone, is a true team player and
thinks the world of Juliet. <br />
<br />
<i><b>I Remember You</b></i> is so romantic, so well-told; I loved this book and its odd
and quirky characters. Juliet and Rosemary have a great friendship, (almost)
always telling each other the truth, supporting each other without
question. Rosemary has "relationship issues" with boys, Lucas
is loving and sweet, Dex is easy and bright, Jason is a little off and scary.
It is really a Young Adult novel:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>There is sex, deception, a lot of drinking, also a lot of redemption,
support, openness, and some really great adult characters.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>And what a good premise!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Remembering your girlfriend before you even meet her!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There were a few moments where I thought,
WHAT? but they passed and worked out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As
far as I know….<br />
<br />
What a book, what a good time I had reading it! I hope you do, too.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><a href="http://www.eagleharborbooks.com/book/9780385754552"><i><b>I Remember You</b></i> </a>will be available February,
2015, from Knopf.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>$17.99.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Give Eagle Harbor a call at 206-842-5332 if
you need a copy and don’t have a local bookstore.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We will be so happy to help you out!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
DefSemiHidden="true" DefQFormat="false" DefPriority="99"
LatentStyleCount="267">
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="0" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Normal"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="heading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="35" QFormat="true" Name="caption"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="10" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" Name="Default Paragraph Font"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="11" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtitle"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="22" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Strong"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="20" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="59" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Table Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Placeholder Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="No Spacing"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Revision"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="34" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="List Paragraph"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="29" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="30" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="19" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="21" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="31" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="32" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="33" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Book Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="37" Name="Bibliography"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" QFormat="true" Name="TOC Heading"/>
</w:LatentStyles>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]>
<style>
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-qformat:yes;
mso-style-parent:"";
mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin-top:0in;
mso-para-margin-right:0in;
mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt;
mso-para-margin-left:0in;
line-height:115%;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;}
</style>
<![endif]--><br />
<br />Rene' Kirkpatrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11128708635517763899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7394756814446390546.post-75123000912143095292014-11-22T12:30:00.001-08:002014-11-22T12:30:37.029-08:00A Spool of Blue Thread<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:View>Normal</w:View>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:TrackMoves/>
<w:TrackFormatting/>
<w:PunctuationKerning/>
<w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/>
<w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>
<w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent>
<w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>
<w:DoNotPromoteQF/>
<w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther>
<w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian>
<w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript>
<w:Compatibility>
<w:BreakWrappedTables/>
<w:SnapToGridInCell/>
<w:WrapTextWithPunct/>
<w:UseAsianBreakRules/>
<w:DontGrowAutofit/>
<w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/>
<w:DontVertAlignCellWithSp/>
<w:DontBreakConstrainedForcedTables/>
<w:DontVertAlignInTxbx/>
<w:Word11KerningPairs/>
<w:CachedColBalance/>
</w:Compatibility>
<w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel>
<m:mathPr>
<m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/>
<m:brkBin m:val="before"/>
<m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/>
<m:smallFrac m:val="off"/>
<m:dispDef/>
<m:lMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:rMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/>
<m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/>
<m:intLim m:val="subSup"/>
<m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/>
</m:mathPr></w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]-->
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-z_w7W3ZadAY/VHDxxgWuATI/AAAAAAAABqk/PbFRTzvPSAE/s1600/october%2Bnovember13%2B004.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-z_w7W3ZadAY/VHDxxgWuATI/AAAAAAAABqk/PbFRTzvPSAE/s1600/october%2Bnovember13%2B004.JPG" height="149" width="200" /></a>Sunrise was at 7:24, sunrise will be at 4:27.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Huh.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All
the same numbers in those times.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is rainy
and blustery out there, Pooh.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Gray skies
and very few leaves left on our old maple tree.<br />
<br />
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span>Oh, it's been so long since I last
sat down to write about books (and the weather outside our windows). I've
been reading so much and in such small slivers of time (thank god for ferry
time) that finding <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">other</i> time to sit
and read is hard to do.<br />
<br />
However! The books I've been reading have been AMAZING! Lots of
YA, of course, and science fiction, mysteries, and I've been adding in a lot
more books written for adults. I haven't made "grown-up" books
a priority in the past since I've been a children's book buyer and seller for
most of my bookselling life. But now, I am the "Adult Book
Buyer" and, well, you can see what I need to do. I've been
collecting some of the best books our reps have recommended and have a nice
stack to occupy my time during these long Pacific Northwest nights.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-42XcGu5DtuA/VHDwARTBEkI/AAAAAAAABqQ/8sYwx9KJIrk/s1600/Spool%2Bof%2Bblue%2Bthread%2Bcover.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-42XcGu5DtuA/VHDwARTBEkI/AAAAAAAABqQ/8sYwx9KJIrk/s1600/Spool%2Bof%2Bblue%2Bthread%2Bcover.JPG" /></a></div>
I just finished <b>Anne Tyler’s </b>new book, <a href="http://www.eagleharborbooks.com/book/9781101874271"><i><b>A Spool of Blue Thread</b></i></a>, a story of
family and home and what makes both: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">classic</i>
Anne Tyler. Abby and Red live and raise their family in a house built by hand
by Red’s dad, a beautiful place with a wide porch, surrounded by poplars up on
a small hill.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
The women (ditzy Abby, practical sisters Jeannie and Amanda, calm and
inexplicable Nora, strong-willed Linnie Mae) and their men (quiet and hardworking
Red, secretive Denny, steady Stem and bowled-over Junior) pull us back and
forth in time from a cabin in Spruce Pine, Virginia, to the well-sanded,
varnished, porch swing attached to the high-ceilinged Baltimore house the Whitshanks
have lived in for three generations.<br />
<br />
<i><b>A Spool of Blue Thread</b></i> is the story of a family but only as Anne Tyler can
tell it:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>humorous, sharp, with a sly
insight into marriage and relationships. It is filled with hope and love and
flawed people and I think you’re really going to like it, too.<br />
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
Reading her books are like seeing a porch light in a storm: warm and
familiar, never knowing quite what you’ll get when the door is opened, but looking
forward to the visit.<br />
<br />
(<i><b>A Spool of Blue Thread </b></i>will be available in February, 2015, and is
published by Knopf.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>$25.95.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Please read responsibly and support your
local, independently owned bookstore.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If
you don’t have one, call <a href="http://www.eagleharborbooks.com/">Eagle Harbor Books</a> and you can use ours.)<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
DefSemiHidden="true" DefQFormat="false" DefPriority="99"
LatentStyleCount="267">
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="0" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Normal"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="heading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="35" QFormat="true" Name="caption"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="10" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" Name="Default Paragraph Font"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="11" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtitle"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="22" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Strong"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="20" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="59" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Table Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Placeholder Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="No Spacing"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Revision"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="34" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="List Paragraph"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="29" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="30" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="19" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="21" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="31" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="32" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="33" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Book Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="37" Name="Bibliography"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" QFormat="true" Name="TOC Heading"/>
</w:LatentStyles>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]>
<style>
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-qformat:yes;
mso-style-parent:"";
mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin-top:0in;
mso-para-margin-right:0in;
mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt;
mso-para-margin-left:0in;
line-height:115%;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;}
</style>
<![endif]--><br />
<br />Rene' Kirkpatrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11128708635517763899noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7394756814446390546.post-27231350661958723082014-08-23T09:42:00.000-07:002014-08-23T09:42:33.879-07:00A Perfect Summer Series for TeensSunrise was at 6:16 am, sunset will be at 8:07 pm.<br />
<br />
It's still summer! Cool mornings, hot afternoons, breezy evenings. The sun is the most amazing orange as it sets so much earlier than last week, the color most likely the reaction to smoke and fire, barbecue or forest. There are blue jays and bluebirds, chickadees and robins, ducking in and out of the fountain out back, bumblebees, and once I saw 8 honeybees at the same time, in the lavender out front. I love hearing the neighbor's ducks as the sun goes down, a low rolling quack quack quack as they settle. Today we seal the deck. Again.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-HSDQ-PD19Lc/U_i_KgTj8dI/AAAAAAAABpU/MblCwr_OCFA/s1600/August%2B10%2B14%2B049.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-HSDQ-PD19Lc/U_i_KgTj8dI/AAAAAAAABpU/MblCwr_OCFA/s1600/August%2B10%2B14%2B049.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></a></div>
I just finished three books, a little series, that feature teens who go to a high school in France, The School of America in Paris, by <b>Stephanie Perkins</b>. It was a lot of fun to read all three of them at once, following one couple and their troubles and love, and then the next book, a new couple and their relationship and cameos of the other students we came to love in the <i>other </i>books. <br />
<br />
I'm glad I got to read them one after the other as my memory can truly suck after a year (or two) between books and I can't remember who's who after that long. You are so lucky to be able to read them all at once, too, now that they are available side by side on the shelf of your bookstore.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4TWQ5GYw5Vg/U_jA8NQ9k2I/AAAAAAAABpg/-WB2ehq5kuM/s1600/lola%2Bnext%2Bdoor%2Bcover.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4TWQ5GYw5Vg/U_jA8NQ9k2I/AAAAAAAABpg/-WB2ehq5kuM/s1600/lola%2Bnext%2Bdoor%2Bcover.JPG" /></a></div>
The series is based in Paris, can you get more romantic than that? and each of the books focuses on a particular pair of friends who eventually become more than. Being in Paris, far from home, family, and other friends, our heroes are cut loose from all things familiar which allows them to reinvent themselves, test new waters, and fall in love as if in free fall. The city is as big a character as the humans in the story and is a wonderful foil for all the romance, mean girls, and break-ups that happen in a relationship.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-WH88LzspdQM/U_jA-gHwSDI/AAAAAAAABpo/MThrXZovKAU/s1600/isla%2Bhappily%2Bcover.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-WH88LzspdQM/U_jA-gHwSDI/AAAAAAAABpo/MThrXZovKAU/s1600/isla%2Bhappily%2Bcover.JPG" /></a>These books aren't simple: they are packed with crushes, break-ups, breakdowns, studying, sex (yes, sex), detentions, odd friends, mean people, good people...They seem realistic (from the point of view someone who has never been to Paris, gone to a private school or the Olympics - the sports Olympics, not the mountain range - but who <i>has</i> fallen in love) and the emotion throughout is certainly true to anyone who has loved or been hurt in love. I really liked these books and I think any of you who like YA Lit or who have a 14 year-old, this series will be a perfect end of summer read.<br />
<br />
All are published by Dutton, are for ages 14 and up, the paperbacks (<i><b>Anna and the French Kiss</b></i> and <i><b>Lola and the Boy Next Door</b></i>) are 9.99, and <i><b>Isla and the Happily Ever After</b></i> is $17.99. All are available now and you can get them at your local bookshop. If you don't have a local bookshop, call me at Eagle Harbor (206-842-5332) and we will ship them to you! <br />
<br />
<br />Rene' Kirkpatrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11128708635517763899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7394756814446390546.post-66585289155474260272014-08-14T07:10:00.000-07:002014-08-14T07:10:38.164-07:00Some Books for Early Readers Sunrise was at 6:04 and sunset will be at 8:23. Just about 10 minutes less daylight than last week. It's dark when I get up, now. There's just the barest bluing of the air, the wind picking up as the sun gets higher, but it is obvious that we're heading into winter. The lilac leaves are turning bright red already, the maple's helicopters are huge and still attached (thank ALL the gods) to the maple, and the blackberries smell like cobbler when it's warm (a very autumnal smell). It's hot, everything is dry, and I come up our hill at the end of the day anticipating the beer at the end of the trip home (which I drink out on the porch next to the bubbler, reading just one more chapter).<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-NQhl58GqImE/U-l9kTe339I/AAAAAAAABos/9sCfdYH_R00/s1600/August+10+14+059.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-NQhl58GqImE/U-l9kTe339I/AAAAAAAABos/9sCfdYH_R00/s1600/August+10+14+059.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></a></div>
My commute has been WONderful! Sometimes foggy, sometimes clear, but mostly cool in the mornings, and hot in the afternoon, I sit on the ferry, book mostly forgotten on my lap, and watch the water traffic and the view, looking for whales and taking pictures of families with Rainier in the background. Enforced non-desk time.<br />
<br />
Lately, I've been reading a few first and second grade readers, those in-between books that give kids practice reading, give them confidence and then lead them into the whole grand world that is literature. I love the books written for this age and grade level - there are some wonderful stories out there now for kids who are ready to make that leap into longer and more complicated books. And the best thing is that authors are writing these stories without using simple words or simplistic storylines!<br />
<br />
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-yB2O8iXvwHM/U-y8cP3mPmI/AAAAAAAABo8/ZakMIPCS2Ok/s1600/Leroy+Ninker+1+cover.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-yB2O8iXvwHM/U-y8cP3mPmI/AAAAAAAABo8/ZakMIPCS2Ok/s1600/Leroy+Ninker+1+cover.JPG" height="200" width="133" /></a><b>Kate DiCamillo</b>'s <i><b>Mercy Watson</b></i> series is hysterically funny, well-written, has great artwork, and a porcine heroine with an amazing capacity for toast. Kate's now added a new character to her younger reader books, Leroy Ninker (a man who works at a drive-in movie theater) and his horse Maybelline. Well, when the story begins, Leroy has boots, a hat and a lasso, but no horse! <i><b>Leroy Ninker Saddles Up</b></i> is the story of how Leroy meets and becomes friends with Maybelline, a four-toothed horse with a love of beautiful words, especially those directed at her.<br />
<br />
<i><b>Leroy Ninker Saddles Up</b></i> is funny and made me tear up at the end. It's a book filled with angst and fear, great love and joy, a wonderful ending, big words, and complicated feelings. The thing I liked best about the book were the words used: Solemn, Exceptionally, Emboldened, Concept...wonderful phrases like "purple mountains", "rue and regret", "take fate in your hands and wrestle it to the ground"...Many of the words can be figured out from their context and once learned will be remembered forever. I just love that Ms. DiCamillo doesn't write down to an age, she writes the reader up to a new level. (Ages 5-10, Candlewick Press.Available this month, August! $12.99.)<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-JUF_7BSADDQ/U-y86JDoviI/AAAAAAAABpE/FWS_tPmim9I/s1600/alvin+ho+china+cover.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-JUF_7BSADDQ/U-y86JDoviI/AAAAAAAABpE/FWS_tPmim9I/s1600/alvin+ho+china+cover.JPG" height="200" width="131" /></a></div>
<b>Lenore Look's</b> got a new addition to the Alvin Ho oeuvre: <i><b>Alvin Ho Allergic to the Great Wall, the Forbidden Palace, and Other Tourist Attractions</b></i>. YAY! Alvin is Chinese-American, in second grade, and pretty much afraid of everything. Luckily, he has a great family that helps him through his worry and fear of EVERYTHING!<br />
<br />
In this, the 6th, I think, in the series, Alvin and his family go visit his grandparents in Beijing. Very funny, very realistic, Alvin is worried about everything, again. He can't go up and down in the elevator, loses his dad's passport, won't go to the Great Wall... and yet still prevails, learning so much. The best part was when he could NOT use the public toilets. I really like these books. Alvin is such a sweetheart, he always means to do the right thing, he just doesn't always get there. I loved the part where he and his dad are lost in an alley and they go to a fortune teller. She tells Alvin that he will be married and Alvin freaks, yelling that he won't be getting married and "HISWIFEISGOINGTOBEAHAMSTER!"<br />
<br />
The books really appeal to this age group, 6-9, and the experiences will resonate with them. There is a lot of information in these books and a pretty amazing glossary in the back, although the definition of EUNUCH is <i>not </i>included. There's enough artwork to give kids' eyes a break from the text, and the art's pretty funny stuff, too. (Ages 6 and up. Schwartz & Wade, Available now. $15.99)<br />
<br />
The classics are still good, too: <b>Arnold Lobel's</b> <i><b>Frog and Toad </b></i>books, <b>Syd Hoff's <i>Danny and the Dinosaur</i></b> and <i><b>Who Will be My Friends</b></i>, <b>Cynthia Rylant's</b> <i><b>Mr. Putter and Tabby</b></i> series and the <i><b>Cobblestreet Cousins </b></i>series. All of which are probably at your local bookstore on the shelves NOW! No waiting. No online problems, no censorship, you will be able to pre-order and buy whatever books you want from Hachette, Disney and any other publisher you can think of! Who needs the store in the sky when there are so many bookstores waiting for you to be a part of their community of neighbors and ideas? Rene' Kirkpatrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11128708635517763899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7394756814446390546.post-9502496462347773162014-06-07T09:10:00.000-07:002014-06-07T09:10:02.460-07:00Sunrise was at 5:13 am, sunset will be at 9:03pm. I got home last night at 10 pm and the sky was still light. I LOVE this time of year.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-O9haJWZwqME/U5CGsdGMQrI/AAAAAAAABnM/AKPE0nOrBW0/s1600/may+27+june1+14+295.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-O9haJWZwqME/U5CGsdGMQrI/AAAAAAAABnM/AKPE0nOrBW0/s1600/may+27+june1+14+295.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
Cool, cloudy, massively green out there, this morning. The view from our dining room is full of blackberry bushes, trees and birds. A chickadee has been hovering over the blackberries like a hummingbird and plucking petals off the blossoms and carrying them away - decorating a nest? I don't know, but it's pretty interesting.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ZqeZWJnMQo4/U5CVDU-IHtI/AAAAAAAABno/ysS9QCuQ5nc/s1600/may+27+june1+14+056.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ZqeZWJnMQo4/U5CVDU-IHtI/AAAAAAAABno/ysS9QCuQ5nc/s1600/may+27+june1+14+056.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lexington Ave. On my way to see Peter Sis!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I just got back from New York for the big book show. I like New York, I like books, I like most of the people attached to the show, I have a hard time with crowds, kind of a conundrum when every aisle in the building is packed with (mostly) younger readers, bloggers, waiting in long lines for signed books.<br />
<br />
Those of us who had work to do could only look at what was being handed over and yearn for the time to wait for <i>that</i> book. <i>That </i>book for me was <b></b><i><b>Sinner,</b></i><br />
<b>Maggie Stiefvater's</b> new book, but I didn't have the time to wait.<br />
<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Fw93Pum6PI4/U5CVLHWidgI/AAAAAAAABnw/lMFiJz-YrL4/s1600/may+27+june1+14+244.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Fw93Pum6PI4/U5CVLHWidgI/AAAAAAAABnw/lMFiJz-YrL4/s1600/may+27+june1+14+244.JPG" height="320" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ambassador Eoin Colfer and me at BEA</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I did, however, make the time to wait in a line the next day with very excited bloggers (the very first person in line was hyperventilating; he kept saying, Oh, my God, I'm so excited!) to meet <b>Eoin Colfer</b>. I am going to tell you now just how thrilled I was when Eoin caught my eye and then waved at me standing there in the line. Sigh. So, I waited through all the pictures and hugs and babbling of all those bloggers and a few librarians until it was my turn and, yes, I did the exact same thing. I'm sure I babbled a little but I demanded a picture of the two of us AND a hug. I love me some Eoin Colfer. (Here signing <a href="http://www.eagleharborbooks.com/search/apachesolr_search/reluctant%20assassin"><i><b>The Reluctant Assassin</b></i></a>, book 1 in the <i><b>W.A.R.P.</b></i> series.)<br />
<br />
<b>Book Love</b>: I did find some things I can't wait to read - they are still on their continental drift from that coast to this - but I had to make lists of the things I didn't pick up for immediate consumption so I can remember to look for them later.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-FJYPYFXlYkw/U5CcJp3D1XI/AAAAAAAABoA/ZMRiU3R11pw/s1600/Ember+in+the+Ashes+Cover+001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-FJYPYFXlYkw/U5CcJp3D1XI/AAAAAAAABoA/ZMRiU3R11pw/s1600/Ember+in+the+Ashes+Cover+001.JPG" height="200" width="149" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ember in the Ashes Manuscript</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
One of the books I picked up and then packed up to share with the staff is by a new author, <i><b>Sabaa Tahir</b></i>, who on her own has an amazing story to tell, but the one she's written, <a href="http://www.cbcbooks.org/penguin-young-readers-group-acquires-highly-anticipated-debut-novel-an-ember-in-the-ashes-in-major-pre-empt/#.U5Cahij4v-s">Ember in the Ashes</a>, is a fast-paced adventure story that feels as if it's placed somewhere on this earth, somewhen in the far future, and is a not-so-gentle mix of mythologies from all the hot places, Rome, the Middle East, the Mojave. The military is a harsh bunch trained from youth who feel it is their right to take what they want, when they want. Our heroine, Laia, has lost the last person in her family to this brutal bunch. She knows he is imprisoned somewhere and she joins the underground to find him. Unfortunately, circumstances put her in the ultimate danger, in the home of the head of the military, vicious woman, the mother of one of the soldiers. This is a tough, unforgiving life for the people living, and dying, here. The book is packed with action and danger, but it isn't without hope and courage (and a big helping of romance!). <br />
<br />
I can't wait to start selling this book to our customers. It was SO good and I am hoping there will be another one SOON! I don't know when it's coming, I don't know the price...It's so new and exciting! I know it's published by Penguin Young Readers Group and everyone should put it on order at their Indie bookshops, like <a href="http://www.eagleharborbooks.com/">Eagle Harbor Book Company</a>! (Ages 13+)<br />
<br />
(No Recompense Received for this Post.) <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Rene' Kirkpatrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11128708635517763899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7394756814446390546.post-43630756798936884252014-05-02T09:07:00.000-07:002014-05-02T09:07:22.170-07:00Sick Day Reading on a Beautiful DayThursday, May 1 (rabbit rabbit rabbit). Sunrise today was at 5:52, sunset will be at 8:22- Woo HOO; all that daylight!<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-AlAH9sUEwKc/U2J3vq0QqCI/AAAAAAAABmM/ihs3PxNK8yg/s1600/april+30+2014+027.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-AlAH9sUEwKc/U2J3vq0QqCI/AAAAAAAABmM/ihs3PxNK8yg/s1600/april+30+2014+027.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">P-Patch hens dust bathing in the warm dirt</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
It's going to be HOT today- amazing how quickly the weather changes around here. It was cold last Thursday (see last post) and it may be a record breaker today, mid-80s! Last Saturday I spent a couple of hours weeding out along the big rosemary bush at the edge of the house - you might remember that I mentioned that it had blossomed and I didn't see any bees in it. Well, they found it! You can hear the bees humming in and around it, honey and bumble, the branches bouncing when the bumbles leave one and move to another. You know what was really cool? Weeding and feeling bees fly into me, boomp, and then careening off back into the bushes.<br />
<br />
What a week for books! I had lunch with my friend Colleen, a rep for Penguin children's books, last Friday and she generously shared 4 new YA books with me. I've wolfed down two of them, am halfway through the third and have the fourth on the bedside table. On that Friday, a warm and sunny one, I was in the middle of <i><b>Mink River</b></i>, by <b>Brian Doyle</b>, and put it down for an hour (reading in a local bar) to dabble in <i><b>Althea and Oliver</b></i>, by <b>Cristina Moracho</b>.<br />
<br />
And then, I woke up on Saturday with an awful sore throat and stayed home on Monday, sick, sick sick . Ah, but I love being sick if I don't have to work. Those long hours reading and sleeping, sweating and cooling, books, socks and kleenex discovered, pushed down to the foot of the bed, under the blankets.<br />
<br />
Sick day books:<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LhqHN9cB9KQ/U2J1_SA5bRI/AAAAAAAABmA/0HSBXFeJgOk/s1600/april+30+2014+005.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LhqHN9cB9KQ/U2J1_SA5bRI/AAAAAAAABmA/0HSBXFeJgOk/s1600/april+30+2014+005.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Reading Mink River on a ferry in a cloudbirst</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<i><b>Mink River </b></i>is a book for adults, a song of a book, about a small Oregon coastal town and the people who live and love in it. It isn't a book for hurrying through, you have to settle in with it, moving through it like the river moves between its banks to the ocean. Like <b>Ken Kesey</b> and his <a href="http://www.eagleharborbooks.com/book/9780140045291"><i><b>Sometimes a Great Notion</b></i></a>, Mr. Doyle knows his Oregon landscape, weather and people. I miss the people in this book already, and I am more homesick for Port Orford than I have been in a while. The sequel, <i><b>The Plover</b></i>, is on my bedside table, too. (<a href="http://www.eagleharborbooks.com/book/9780870715853"><i><b>Mink River</b></i></a>: Oregon State University Press. <i><b><a href="http://www.eagleharborbooks.com/book/9781250034779">Plover</a>: </b></i>Macmillan.)<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-S3rp1WEuFIk/U2O3iA312lI/AAAAAAAABmc/ygITz2UEi14/s1600/Pennyroyal+Academy+Cover.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-S3rp1WEuFIk/U2O3iA312lI/AAAAAAAABmc/ygITz2UEi14/s1600/Pennyroyal+Academy+Cover.JPG" /></a></div>
<i><b>Pennyroyal Academy</b></i>, by <b>M. A. Larson</b>, is more a middle grade novel than YA but it was great! A fairy tale variation on the whole princess theme, Pennyroyal Academy is a training school for young women (and one boy) who want to become Princesses, bold, courageous women (and, now, one boy) who battle dragons and witches. Princess is not just a title at Pennyroyal, it is a way of life and a military role. Those who become Princess are brave and strong, enduring months of training under a Fairy Drillsergeant. <br />
<br />
Evie, our hero, is a young woman with no memory, wrapped in a dress of spider webs, who has just escaped a witch and is heading toward Pennyroyal Academy accompanied by a young man who is off to become a knight. Her journey to Princess is athwart in horror and terror. <br />
<br />
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-GUwUP6DY_kY/U2O3pDOQGsI/AAAAAAAABmk/bzTcyfBjkuw/s1600/Paper+Bag+Princess+Cover.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-GUwUP6DY_kY/U2O3pDOQGsI/AAAAAAAABmk/bzTcyfBjkuw/s1600/Paper+Bag+Princess+Cover.JPG" style="cursor: move;" /></a>Great action, horrible jealousy, a little romance,<i><b> Pennyroyal Academy</b></i> will be a hit with the 10 and ups and<i><b> </b></i>moms who are really tired of the standard fairy princess world - if <i><b>Paper Bag Princess, </b></i>by<i><b> </b></i><b>Robert Munsch</b> was in your stack of read alouds, this is the book for you. (<a href="http://www.eagleharborbooks.com/book/9780399163241"><i><b>Pennyroyal Academy</b></i>: </a>Penguin. Available 10/14. $16.99.) <a href="http://www.eagleharborbooks.com/book/9780399163241">(</a><i><b><a href="http://www.eagleharborbooks.com/book/9780399163241">Paper Bag Princess</a></b></i>: Available now. $6.95. Paperback.)<br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5BOc5sUmA0k/U2PAGg6yo3I/AAAAAAAABm0/262aitIOj2A/s1600/april+30+2014+024.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5BOc5sUmA0k/U2PAGg6yo3I/AAAAAAAABm0/262aitIOj2A/s1600/april+30+2014+024.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Probably not the cover! On my way to work after a sick day.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
And the last book to keep me company on what was, from the window, anyway, an amazingly beautiful, warm and breezy day, was one I only just started before I faded into a very slightly feverish nap, <i><b>Dove Arising</b></i>, by <b>Karen Bao</b>. You all know I love science fiction, real science fiction where you can believe that what is happening can happen and <i><b>Dove Arising</b></i> is one of these books. The author is very young (I think Colleen said she was 17 when she started writing this book) and quite talented. <i><b>Dove Arising</b></i> is the story of Phaet (pronounced Fate) Theta, a young gardener on the Moon, colonized by scientists to lower the chance of conflict due to religious controversy. Phaet's family is broken up when her mother gets arrested and she joins the military to try and provide a better life for her siblings. It's at that point she discovers that everything she thought she knew about her world is wrong.<br />
<br />
<i><b>Dove Arising </b></i>was fun and thought provoking, filled with political machinations and really nasty people willing to hurt someone to get ahead. It is fast-paced, humorous, and I loved the military training scenes a lot; I think this could be a great book for both sexes. I am hoping there will be a sequel but it ends in such a way that it feels okay to wait. (<a href="http://www.eagleharborbooks.com/book/9780451469014">Dove Arising</a>: Viking. Due August 2014. $17.99.)<br />
<br />
It's going to be a good year for books if just these few titles are anything to go by. <br />
<br />
<br />Rene' Kirkpatrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11128708635517763899noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7394756814446390546.post-42483571559012797562014-05-01T08:16:00.000-07:002014-05-01T08:16:16.768-07:00Bees and Bee Books!Sunrise was at 6:04, sunset will be at 8:12.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-IWmNxQQkj54/U1lBieynMEI/AAAAAAAABlw/jzOa3jXejZ0/s1600/April+17+2014+039.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-IWmNxQQkj54/U1lBieynMEI/AAAAAAAABlw/jzOa3jXejZ0/s1600/April+17+2014+039.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></a></div>
Windy, cool, and wet. Our lilacs smell so GOOD. The air is fair thick with floral scents and color: lilac, the last of the cherry blossoms, the chartreuse maple catkins, woody lavender...imagine being a bee in all that ultraviolet light, all those little flowers flashing "Land here! Land here! Pollen and more pollen HERE!" The rosemary along the house is huge and blue - no bees, yet, though, and it usually hums with all the bees jockeying for position. I worry that the flowers will be gone before the bees arrive (if they arrive!). I just went to the Puget Sound Beekeepers <a href="http://www.pugetsoundbees.org/bee-friendly-gardening/">site</a> to check the bee friendly garden plant list and will be heading to Swanson's soon to go shopping. I also checked out how to become a hive renter. We have a small yard but it has amazing plants that bees LOVE, we are on a hill with no buildings to our western side, and I think a few hives would be perfect here. I'll let you know what I find out. (I understand that renters get a couple of jars of honey that "their" bees make.)<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-fEfmz7eafTM/U1k_gp8NK3I/AAAAAAAABlc/Xkc0IBdrurY/s1600/April+24+2012+012.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-fEfmz7eafTM/U1k_gp8NK3I/AAAAAAAABlc/Xkc0IBdrurY/s1600/April+24+2012+012.JPG" height="320" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some favorite bee books from my shelves.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
There is a new book out called <i><b>The Bees</b></i>, by <b>Laline Paull</b>, the latest in some pretty good books about bees and the lives of bees. Paull's book gives us a good look at the life of a honeybee hive. From the lowliest worker bee to the queen, she explains how the hierarchy of the bees in a hive behaves, including what each caste of bees does and is responsible for. The story focuses on Flora 717, a sanitation worker, who is dangerously curious about the hive, the other bees, and the world that surrounds her. Using Flora's curiosity about how things work, we are let in on the secrets she uncovers through her journey from each level and season.<br />
<br />
The science of <i><b>The Bees</b></i> was pretty cool, lots of information about royal jelly, how a queen is made, what workers do, how a hive operates, what the foragers do and how they do it. I LOVED the parts about the foragers, especially, because they're the ones we see. These are the bees that make our world bloom, blossom and seed. The bits about flying over a field covered in pesticides or gas and oil were pretty horrible and paint a pretty good picture of why we should be more hesitant about hopping into our cars. I really liked the parts, too, about why not every pretty flower is particularly worth having in a yard. (Ecco Press.)<br />
<br />
One of the first fictionalized books I read about bees was <i><b>A Hive for the Honeybee</b></i>, by <b>Soinbhe Lally</b>. This was a stunning story about a worker bee, Thora, and the upheaval in the hive when the old queen is sent out to start a new hive and a new queen has yet to be born. Originally published in 1999, with pictures by Patience Brewster, it is a little gem of a book filled with good information about bees and bee life. It looks as if this title is now out of print so the library might be the only place to see it. (Scholastic.)<br />
<br />
<b>Robin McKinley's</b> <i><b>Chalice</b></i> is a fantasy novel filled with magic and bees. Mirasol is a beekeeper until the death of the Priest of Fire's brother dies and the new Master appoints her his Chalice. Her duties are to bind the Master's Circle, the land and its people to its new Master - but his touch can burn human flesh to the bone. Romantic and busy, Chalice is a fairytale filled with earth lore and the healing power of honey. Like a few of McKinley's other books, the narrative wanders around, a little stream-of-consciousness-y, but I kind of like that. (Penguin.)<br />
<br />
<i><b>Bees, Nature's Little Wonders</b></i>, by <b>Candace Savage</b>, is a lovely, gifty book filled with facts and the science of bees and how they live and work. In addition to the facts of bee-life, the book is packed with lore, tales, photography and other ephemera gathered through the years. It's a good basic book about bees. (Greystone.)<br />
<br />
Anything out there that you've loved, bee-wise? <br />
<br />
<br />Rene' Kirkpatrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11128708635517763899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7394756814446390546.post-63316772966178053662014-04-18T20:33:00.001-07:002014-04-19T09:31:19.276-07:00Gabrielle Zevin on tour for The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry<br />
Sunrise was at 6:15 am, sunset will be at 8:03 pm. <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-axHFJzLtXcM/U1FZUtEGbjI/AAAAAAAABks/7dYJmSPNxu0/s1600/April+17+2014+020.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-axHFJzLtXcM/U1FZUtEGbjI/AAAAAAAABks/7dYJmSPNxu0/s1600/April+17+2014+020.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></a></div>
Here is some of our staff at <a href="http://www.eagleharborbooks.com/">Eagle Harbor Book Company</a> celebrating <b>Gabrielle Zevin</b> (in the black hat) and her new book, <i><b>The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry </b></i>(Algonquin Press). Gabrielle visited 16 stores in three days here in the greater Puget Sound area: islands, mainland, ferries, freeways and presents from each store that reflect that store's personality. We presented her with a poem written by John Willson (in the blue shirt and beard) about a dead sea lion on a neighbor's beach, a copy of Ann Combs' book, <a href="http://www.eagleharborbooks.com/book/9780983711551">Once Upon a Two by Fou</a>r, about raising her five children while rebuilding a house on BI in the '70s (she is in the blue shirt, no beard), and a little box of locally made fudge from Bon Bon candy shop. (A little bragging about John: He was recently named a <a href="http://nwbooklovers.org/2014/02/12/huzzah-for-booksellerpoet-john-willson/">Bainbridge Island Treasure</a> for his work in writing and teaching poetry on the island.).<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-wY2j8VM3IO0/U1HZ5GtT7oI/AAAAAAAABlM/NCPRtlF8w7A/s1600/April+17+2014+024.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-wY2j8VM3IO0/U1HZ5GtT7oI/AAAAAAAABlM/NCPRtlF8w7A/s1600/April+17+2014+024.JPG" height="320" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gabrielle signing books. Some have chicken stickers!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Gabrielle and our local rep for her book, Kurtis Lowe, presented each store with a quote from her book and this one is particularly resonant for me: <i>"Books typically smell like Daddy's soap, grass, the sea, the kitchen table and cheese"</i>. There is a moment, just as I step through the door here, the first time the door opens that day, where the soft scent of books and wood, dust, an inexplicable tang of lemon and baby hair, washes over me. I try to remember, as the key enters the lock, to take a deep breath just as the door opens. That smell is too soon absorbed into the general movement and energy of the day and it will be another 24 hours before I'll smell it again. So many children and adults tell us how much they love the smell of books when they come in and I'd love to know what that is for them, where the smell comes from, the memories that smell carries for them. Comfort? Flannel and cat? Apples and sunlight? Gasoline and sand? All for Kids Books and Music often had an undertone of wet diaper! And it wasn't unpleasant! Probably because of the memories of where that smell originated: BABIES and the books they ingested.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9O7lgyeaI1M/U1HT58K9rtI/AAAAAAAABk8/7B1nGlG3MYw/s1600/storied+life+aj+fikry+cover.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9O7lgyeaI1M/U1HT58K9rtI/AAAAAAAABk8/7B1nGlG3MYw/s1600/storied+life+aj+fikry+cover.JPG" height="200" width="135" /></a><i><b>The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry</b></i> is a sweet, lovely book about books and bookselling. Mr. Fikry is a bookseller, a recent widower, sad, unhappy, and his bookstore is a reflection of his feelings: persnickety. Island Books is on the edge of collapse if he isn't careful and the addition of a new publisher's rep for a small, literary house, a perky young woman replacing a long-time rep friend, isn't making him any happier. Over the course of a couple of publishing seasons and a couple of ferry visits to his northeast island store, relationships are established, a child is left on a doorstep, and a wonderful book is born.<br />
<br />
Booksellers love this book and the only concern I have with it is how realistic it is! What if all our secrets are let loose? The ARCs and manuscripts that line hallways, stacked 15-20 books tall, tippy piles to be written about, sticky notes to mark a quote that you won't know why you liked when you finally get around to the review. The notes and three word reminders feathering when the wind lifts, no flat spots to sit, cups stuck to the covers of the last book, book as coaster, furniture. That galley from 1992 inscribed to you over the third glass of wine. Do you need to know that? <br />
<br />
Wait, I'm not the only one, right?<br />
<br />
There's also that small thing about bookseller friendships: booksellers have very intense friendships with their reps and each other - we don't see each other very often but we are (often) the only people we know and see socially! So, two or three times a year we have a meal and a two hour visit with each other, trading news and ideas and books read, and fill up to the top with the joy of working with the only other people who understand our language and love to do what we do. <br />
<br />
Each chapter opens with a review of a book, a memory for the future, and the motto of the store is <b>No Man is an Island: Every Book is a World. </b>SO TRUE!!<br />
<br />
Go, buy this book from your local bookseller, get a look at the receiving area and offices of the booksellers who share their favorite books with you, and enjoy. (And if you have a personal relationship with a bookseller, and <i>all</i> relationships with booksellers are personal, ask to see the advance reading copy of the book - more reviews and thoughts about this book are included in it and they are really fun to read.)<br />
<br />
Algonquin. $24.95. Available now. (It is a really pretty book and it feels good to hold. You won't get <i>that </i>on your e-reader, either.)Rene' Kirkpatrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11128708635517763899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7394756814446390546.post-40492786476070985982014-01-30T09:44:00.005-08:002014-01-30T09:44:33.493-08:00The Martian, by Andy WeirSunrise will be at 7:38 am, sunrise will be at 5:08 pm.<br />
<br />
It's still full dark as I start typing here at a few minutes before 7 am. The radio says it will be warm today, 45 degrees right now. That's nice because it has been damp-ish and cold and... I really can't complain, can I? We don't have snow or floods so...a scarf, some gloves, we're good. I did have to put socks on when I got out of my very comfortable, very warm bed but I didn't have to wrap up any outward facing metal pieces, the sugar water didn't freeze in the hummingbird feeder, and I won't have to wear a hat today. I am looking forward to a HOT shower, though.<br />
<br />
The big building across the valley from us, the old veteran's hospital, is lit by blue and green lights these days in honor of the Seahawks' participation in this week's Superbowl. I don't usually follow football but this is pretty exciting stuff for Seattle. There are big 12s all over town, flags and post-it note art of the Seahawks' logo in windows, skyscrapers with all the lights out except for the ones that write out "12". For those not aware, 12 stands for the 12th Man on the Field, the fans. The fans are really noisy, yes, seismically loud, and have been known to throw off the other team because they can't hear their plays. <br />
<br />
I wonder what people on flights into SeaTac think as they fly over the city, see it all lit up in blue and green, with a skyline full of 12s?<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-GA07sUwAz3o/UuqLvwgVdnI/AAAAAAAABkY/DybnkF1RiO0/s1600/January+25+14+037.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-GA07sUwAz3o/UuqLvwgVdnI/AAAAAAAABkY/DybnkF1RiO0/s1600/January+25+14+037.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rainier Tower downtown Seattle all lit up for the Superbowl</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-yRhCP9KfE1k/UuqJoGRr_GI/AAAAAAAABkQ/CO_pGCXK5i0/s1600/the+martian+cover.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-yRhCP9KfE1k/UuqJoGRr_GI/AAAAAAAABkQ/CO_pGCXK5i0/s1600/the+martian+cover.JPG" /></a></div>
I love science fiction and February brings us one of my very favorite books this year, <i><b>The</b></i> <i><b>Martian</b></i>, by <b>Andy </b><b>Weir</b>. <i><b>The Martian</b></i> takes place in the fairly near future as Mars landings and explorations are in their infancy. Six days after the first Mars landing occurs, a massive storm overtakes the team and they are forced to abort the mission. But one of the crew is skewered by a pole and can't make it to the lander. The rest of the crew believes he is dead and are forced to evacuate or they will all perish.<br />
<br />
A few hours after the rocket leaves the surface of Mars, Mark Watney wakes up still in his suit. Air pressure has forced the blood in his helmet to close the cracks, he is completely alone on a planet 6 months space flight from home, has no way to contact anyone, and a sincere desire to stay alive as long as possible.<br />
<br />
<i><b>The Martian</b></i> is his journal about how he survives on Mars, alone and mostly in the dark and cold.<br />
<br />
This is one of the best survival stories I've read recently and I think it would be a really good book for boys 13 and up (good for everyone, really, over 13). It's <i>packed</i> with science and physics, it's funny (truly spit take funny) and poignant, and once you get started, you are going to want to keep reading until you're done. It is a wild ride and, yes, it <i>is</i> rocket science.<br />
<br />
The author, <b>Andy Weir</b>, was hired as a programmer for a lab at age 15 and has been a software engineer ever since. There were a few times when the humor seemed a little forced, and my husband (a journalist by trade) was a little put of by the constant cursing by the woman who was controlling the press. I didn't really notice that part, she <i>was</i> under a lot of pressure, but I did think about the f-word's presence as far as schools and school librarians recommending it to students. Luckily, I have no problems with it and will be talking about it to EVERYONE.<br />
<br />
This is a GREAT book for the Common Core curriculum and for any school that has a STEM program. (Crown. Available February 2014. Adult but good for anyone over 13 who likes survival stories.)<br />
<br />
PS My husband, D, can't wait for us to share this with his brother and I can't wait to share it with my nephew. I sense a small family bookgroup in the making.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Rene' Kirkpatrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11128708635517763899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7394756814446390546.post-59139778268280505692014-01-17T12:18:00.000-08:002014-01-17T12:18:28.945-08:00Ambassador Kate Sunrise today was at 7:51, Sunset will be at 4:48. It's foggy, overcast and gray. No bright colors except for that rampaging hummingbird, a flash of scarlet as he twists at the feeder. Everything is dun and fir, gray and bark. Most of the birds are the same quiet dirt colors, the ivy is a brighter dull green. It's cold, and even with the curtains all open, it feels like the shadows are shimmying for more space. Spring is on its way, though, and the daphne blossoms, the bits that didn't freeze and drop off, are pinkening right up. I think it's finally time to get rid of the sticks that are all that remain of the huge coleuses (coleii?) on the porch and find something a little more festive to put in those great big pots on the porch. This time of year is why I leave the Christmas balls in bowls and hanging in the windows, just a little extra shine when the sun isn't out.<br />
<br />
Yay for <b>Kate DiCamillo</b>!<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-nYSOnY3Cbs8/UtHuVQy2_gI/AAAAAAAABjw/6ZIyUfztg2I/s1600/kate+dicamillo+photo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-nYSOnY3Cbs8/UtHuVQy2_gI/AAAAAAAABjw/6ZIyUfztg2I/s1600/kate+dicamillo+photo.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is Kate!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Last July I got an invitation to be part of the committee to choose the next Ambassador for Young People's Literature. Yes, I know, isn't that just the epitome of cool? I went to New York at the end of August, stayed by myself in a little hotel on the edge of Times Square, and spent a couple of hours in the cozy, book filled offices of the Children's Book Council with the rest of the committe: a couple of librarians, a couple of teachers, a bookseller (ME!), and the current Ambassador, WALTER DEAN MYERS! Be still my heart! It was a heady couple of hours, let me tell you. The following list is who was on the committee.<br />
<ul class="std">
<li>Walter Dean Myers, National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature, 2012-2013</li>
<li>Luann Toth<b>, </b>managing editor, Book Review, School Library Journal</li>
<li>Rene Kirkpatrick<b>, </b>Eagle Harbor Book Company, Bainbridge Island, Wash.</li>
<li>John Sexton<b>, a</b>ssistant library director, Greenburgh Public Library, Elmsford, N.Y.</li>
<li>John Schumacher, teacher-librarian, Brooks Forest Elementary, Oak Brook, Ill.</li>
<li>Cathryn M. Mercier, director, Center for the Study of Children’s
Literature; director, M.A. Children’s Literature and M.F.A. Writing for
Children degree programs; English professor, Simmons College, Boston</li>
</ul>
There is nothing, NOTHING, like being in a room with other people who do what you do but differently. The room vibrated with excitement, being there to talk about books and authors...Nothing is like that. Well, I guess there are other people in other jobs who get that feeling, but hey, it's BOOKS! AND AUTHORS! And people who KNOW about books and authors! I sat next to John Cole, director of Center for the Book, and had a nice talk about Nancy P. and our Center for the Book. I think I remember that he has connections to the area; it would be nice to take him on a little tour of all our lovely bookstores and libraries. I can't tell you how honored I was to be a part of this group.<br />
<br />
It didn't take very long to get our long lists down to a short list; not that it was easy, we were just serious about getting it done. There was discussion about what we thought the ambassador should be and do, information we each held came to the table, and Kate rapidly came to the front of the list. Done and done!<br />
<br />
Kate's platform for the next two year period is "<b>Stories Connect Us</b>", something that all of us who work with children and books often say. Stories allow us to step into others' shoes, to become empathetic, to test ideas before trying them. We become better people for them. I can't wait to hear more from her. Oh, the video link below is an interview with her on PBS where she says stories are stories, that people should read what they love, that there shouldn't be adult books and children's books, just books. Love that, Kate.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WWPreZ4SWx4/UtHt6QIcLXI/AAAAAAAABjk/oHFeSYlMkCA/s1600/fallen+angels+cover.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WWPreZ4SWx4/UtHt6QIcLXI/AAAAAAAABjk/oHFeSYlMkCA/s1600/fallen+angels+cover.JPG" /></a>Okay, now, I have to tell you about <b>Walter Dean Myers</b>. I have been a fan of his from my first children's lit class at U of O where I read <i><b>Fallen Angels</b></i>, and fandom only increases. I remember sitting on the curb outside the U of O bookstore on a break, drinking a coffee and reading - crying and laughing at the same time. Sitting across from him at the CBC office, drinking in the experience, hearing about his two years of being the National Ambassador for Young People's Literature, was inspiring. He spent his time going to schools, going to juvenile detention facilities, convincing people that <b>Reading is NOT an Option</b>. He says, "Children who don't read are, in the main, destined for lesser lives. I feel a deep sense of responsibility to change this." <br />
<ul class="std"></ul>
<a href="http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/childrens/childrens-industry-news/article/60497-kate-dicamillo-named-next-national-ambassador-for-young-people-s-literature.html">This is Publisher's Weekly's article about Kate and the Ambassadorship </a><br />
The following is the PBS Newshour video with Kate. Sorry, I can't upload the video here, you'll have to do it yourself: www.pbs.org/newshour/art/blog/2014/01/national-ambassador-of-young-peoples-literature-kate-dicamillo-wants-to-spread-the-joy-of-reading.html. <br />
<br />
If you haven't had a chance to read <b>Kate DiCamillo's</b> newest book, <i><b>Flora and Ulysses</b></i>, please head to your nearest independent bookstore and get a copy. You will love it and then you can share it with your kids and <i>they</i> will love it. If you don't have a local bookstore, give me a call, and we'll take you in and make you a part of the Eagle Harbor Books community!<br />
<br />
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-kg-ECdLszrI/UtmKvMDfgtI/AAAAAAAABj8/PPK-dtPHpJI/s1600/flora+and+ulysses+cover.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-kg-ECdLszrI/UtmKvMDfgtI/AAAAAAAABj8/PPK-dtPHpJI/s1600/flora+and+ulysses+cover.JPG" /></a>Flora and Ulysses is the story of a lonely little girl, divorced family, a sad dad and a recently vacuumed-up squirrel who now has superpowers. Flora reads a lot of comics and has been reading the <i><b>Terrible Things Can Happen to You!</b></i> series and is beginning to think in word bubbles. Their adventures begin when she rescues the squirrel from the vacuum disaster and Ulysses discovers the typewriter and types, "Squirtel".<br />
<br />
Flora's been unhappy and with the discovery of a super-powered squirrel sidekick, she begins to find reasons to reach out to other people and reconnect to the world. With Ulysses' zen-like sensibilities, his exuberance for life and the ability to express it via typewritten poems, they make a dynamic duo until her mom tells her dad to take the squirrel out, and not out as in let him go, but out in the New Jersey-Sopranos way. Much hilarity ensues and many hearts are expanded. Truly a laugh out loud story but one with phrases and bits that you'll re-read and then share with your partner over breakfast burritos while they say, "Uh, huh?" because they have no idea of what you just went through. Ages 7 and up. (Candlewick. Available now. HC, $17.99.)<br />
<br />
PS F&U is also illustrated by K.G. Campbell, in black and white spot illustrations and some entire comic book style scenes, a perfect companion for Kate's words. <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Rene' Kirkpatrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11128708635517763899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7394756814446390546.post-69256079658918333192014-01-11T16:45:00.001-08:002014-01-11T16:45:47.679-08:00The Good Life? Simple Life? Hmmm...<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NOLRVtpJfNw/UtHkc_YNTUI/AAAAAAAABjU/XaCGk5VfQus/s1600/rene_and_keeli_april_1961_web.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NOLRVtpJfNw/UtHkc_YNTUI/AAAAAAAABjU/XaCGk5VfQus/s1600/rene_and_keeli_april_1961_web.png" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rene' and sister, Keeli, at G'pa and G'ma's</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Sunrise was at 7:57, sunset at 4:33 pm.<br />
<br />
Ugh- I hate not sleeping through the night, especially when I have to get up so early to go to work. 1:30 am wake-up call. I just roll around remembering rep appointments that crept up, an upcoming interview, learning how to use more of the POS at the store, health issues, freezing weather and an uncovered daphne plant. The daphne plant I could take care of RIGHT NOW, although it may have been too late. Thankfully, D can sleep through the light so I can read myself back to sleep. The hard part is finding something that won't make me want to keep reading until the alarm goes off.<br />
<br />
The choice of the early morning read was <i><b>Chickens in the Road</b></i>, not a particularly good choice because it took two hours to finally realize that my eyelids were heavy enough to stay shut. One and a half hours later, the alarm goes off and I spring (well, in my head I spring) out of bed, grabbing <i><b>CITR</b></i> and my glasses and head off to grab coffee and a few more minutes with it before I hit the road for the bus and ferry rides that are nothing more than free reading time.<br />
<br />
I have ALWAYS wanted to live on a farm. We lived with my grandparents when I was very young. A few acres filled with horses, rhubarb, tansy ragwort and summers full of canning jars, plastic jugs of drinking water (the well water had arsenic in it), feral cats, and running through the creek (crick if you are a Kirkpatrick from Spencer Creek) looking for frogs. There were two barns, one for the horses and one for the tack, and electric fences buzzed in the night. Grandma had grape arbors and a small vegetable garden. We lived there for a few years until Mom could afford to move to town.<br />
<br />
The effects of "the house" (everyone in the clan knows that when you say "the house" you mean Grandma's little white house even though she's been gone a few years) have stayed with me all this time and I have only just, only this year, realized that I am way too old to actually leave my city ways and move to a farm and do all those farm things. That realization has made me kind of sad. How could I suddenly be too old?<br />
<br />
Thankfully, people actually DO make changes in their lives, at ages far earlier than 50-something, uprooting themselves and family and moving to the way outback to wrestle with chickens and snow, foxes and old orchards, learning to can beans without botulism and how to butcher a hog and then they WRITE about it! Thank God for books and their writers! <br />
<br />
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-xJCWan17t60/UtCZC4LbJ7I/AAAAAAAABi0/-mpyrhNx9ug/s1600/chickens+in+the+road+cover.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-xJCWan17t60/UtCZC4LbJ7I/AAAAAAAABi0/-mpyrhNx9ug/s1600/chickens+in+the+road+cover.JPG" /></a><i><b>Chickens in the Road</b></i> was great! <b>Suzanne McMinn</b> was 42 and a popular romance writer, when she decided to move to West Virginia with her partner, 52, somewhere she could have chickens that could walk in the road. Well, she got the chickens, and then goats, a cow, an uncooperative neighbor, snow, snow and more snow, and then mud, all mixed up with her children, an kind of odd partner (what was his problem?), and all the people who make up a rural community.<br />
<br />
<i><b>CITR</b></i> is mostly a slice of life look at what it takes to live way out in the country. She was lucky enough to have lived in West Virginia before, so she knew some people and had a safety net of sorts. She'd done some canning and wasn't shy about asking for help, what she doesn't have is a very helpful partner or any real money.<br />
<br />
I thoroughly enjoyed this book, I learned a lot, it was entertaining, and there are recipes for the food and crafts she mentions in the back. (HarperOne. Available now. Hardcover, $28.99.)<br />
<br />
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-sTI-aiTJcs0/UtCZHWpf39I/AAAAAAAABi8/uOINhMfOOnk/s1600/bootstrapper+cover.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-sTI-aiTJcs0/UtCZHWpf39I/AAAAAAAABi8/uOINhMfOOnk/s1600/bootstrapper+cover.JPG" /></a>But, one book about living a sustainable life, about supporting yourself with what you make with your own two hands, just isn't enough and I happened to have a copy of <i><b>Bootstrapper</b></i>, by <b>Mardi Jo Link</b>, on the shelf, too. <br />
<br />
Mardi Jo's life starts to unravel after her marriage falls apart, leaving her deep in debt on a farm in northern Michigan. Deciding to stick it out with her 3 boys, she faces foreclosure, a bad well, feral chickens, and wins a zucchini contest that keeps the family in bread. Over the course of the year she eventually begins to dig herself out of the depression and the money pit she's found herself drowning in, finding joy and love in the mud and defrosted remains of their only meat, getting creative with her few resources. Her boys are the real heroes, here, although she deserves a lot of credit for raising them. They are strong and caring boys, able and careful, willing to go along with the idea of the farm. <br />
<br />
Very good, funny, but not overly rah-rah! It's hard being a single mom with three kids and she doesn't slack on the pity parties. She is realistic about how difficult this kind of life can be. (Knopf. Available now. Hardcover, $24.95.)<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-qmtB_StSbcc/UtCZK0Wl4-I/AAAAAAAABjE/X1FZqCIylkQ/s1600/farm+city+cover.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-qmtB_StSbcc/UtCZK0Wl4-I/AAAAAAAABjE/X1FZqCIylkQ/s1600/farm+city+cover.JPG" /></a>My other favorite book about living on a farm is <i><b>Farm City</b></i>, by <b>Novella Carpenter</b>. This one has been out for a while and I still sell it to the people on the island who are thinking about getting chickens and starting a garden. Novella moved to Ghost City from the Seattle area, a rundown neighborhood near Oakland, and started a farm. She started with chickens and bees and eventually expanded it from her house and yard into the abandoned lot next door. The pig might have been a breaking point for any other partner, but obviously, Novella chose the right one (partner, not pig. Well, maybe the pig, too). She decided that if she's going to eat meat, she needs to raise and then slaughter the pig. Chasing around fancy restaurant dumpsters for leftovers to feed the pig is funny, learning what goes into getting a pig ready for food is fascinating. The part about the effects of live animals on kids in the neighborhood is amazing and surprising. Give it a try, you'll want a beehive next! (Penguin Books. Available now. $16.00.) Rene' Kirkpatrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11128708635517763899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7394756814446390546.post-8928489125688822772014-01-04T12:34:00.001-08:002014-01-06T05:42:02.422-08:00Hild, A Big Book for the New Year<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6SgIWaZtC2Q/Useki5NuiNI/AAAAAAAABiU/HiAhV-rAmMw/s1600/January+2013+photos+094.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6SgIWaZtC2Q/Useki5NuiNI/AAAAAAAABiU/HiAhV-rAmMw/s320/January+2013+photos+094.JPG" height="238" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is where I write. I watch the birds from here.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Sunrise was at 7:57 am, sunset will be at 4:32 pm.<br />
<br />
It's a beautiful day in our neighborhood, today. The sun's out, the sky's blue, and the little brown birds are flocking at the bird feeder. There are a dozen little brown striped and stippled birds, juncos? wrens? I don't know, chickadees I recognize. One of these little guys has eaten so much he doesn't look like he can fly - he's sitting on a blackberry cane, so round he looks like an ornament.<br />
<br />
I wish my camera was good enough to capture the sky over the Sound - sometimes it is so dramatic, so otherworldly, it looks like it's been designed by animators rather than by weather. New Year's Eve was one of those afternoons. Mid-trip, about 10 minutes into the ride home, the boat slowed and the captain announced that there were orcas on the left side, the north side, of the boat. Of course, everyone headed over and people made room for all to look out. I didn't see anything from there, but the couple next to me said, "Look, there they are! Happy New Year!" and then the captain said, "They're all around us!" I got chills and grabbed my stuff, heading off to the back of the boat (it's a ferry so the back at this point was facing Bainbridge) where there's a wider, no back light, view. There, in a silver wedge of light, were the backs and flukes of many whales, traveling south. I've seen whales a couple of times in the year of riding the ferry, but not like this, rising and falling, looking out and seeing the break of water over and over.<br />
<br />
When I couldn't see the orcas any longer, I looked at the sky and it was epic! That silver wedge of light where the sun cut through the mountains, lighting the ferry's route to Seattle, and a biblical purple, black, roil of clouds on either side of that wedge. The ferries heading past us to Bremerton and BI sparkled and glowed in their passage westward, the rickrack wave of water along the ferry bottoms and the wake a brilliant white in the darkness. One of the most amazing rides home I've experienced so far.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VBCTA3h-9BU/Ushk-rPEkCI/AAAAAAAABik/1n8lr5r_qfs/s1600/hild+cover.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VBCTA3h-9BU/Ushk-rPEkCI/AAAAAAAABik/1n8lr5r_qfs/s1600/hild+cover.JPG" /></a></div>
One of my very favorite books this year, out of EVERYthing I've read this year, is <b>Hild</b>, by Seattle author Nicola Griffiths. A big, rollicking, epic book about a young woman named Hild who lives in 7th century Britain, the story starts when she is 3 years-old, a smart, thoughtful, caring child being raised to be the king's seer. Hild's uncle is the king, so she is in a particularly awkward position; as long as her predictions are correct, as long as everything goes in the king's favor, Hild gets to live. Fortunately, Hild is well able to read people, landscape, the weather and uses those observations to lead the king to make better decisions.<br />
<br />
Hild is based on a real woman, Saint Hild of Whitby, born at the time when Christianity was just beginning to butt up against paganism. There isn't a lot known about the real Hild, only that she was able to read and eventually became the adviser to statesmen and kings. Nicola wrote the book to find out how she survived not only her birth as the second child to a widowed mother but the changes coming as the petty kingdoms became literate states. She studied the history, archeology, poetry, art, and literature available at the time, placing our fictional Hild in a fully realized world of monks, dye vats, sheep, horrific death, season changes, and the ways of the women of the time. Hild, the book, is more than a re-imagined biography of a person, it is a look into what Hild, the woman, would have seen and done as she tries to keep herself and her people safe in a dangerous time.<br />
<br />
Hild is big, well over 500 pages, and filled with descriptions of the world at that time. The different languages can keep you from reading smoothly for the first pages but you'll soon blithely leap from gutteral Germanic to hushing Welsh in no time. The advance reading copy I read didn't have a map or an author's note, it didn't have the pronunciation guide, but the finished copy does. It also includes a glossary and a family tree, something I found very useful.<br />
<br />
This is a book that young adults would thoroughly enjoy, if given enough time to read. It's realistic, and extraordinarily well-written and would be a good suggestion for anyone who loves Marion Zimmer Bradley's <b>The Mists of Avalon</b>. Good for STEM and Core Curriculum lists, too, as it is chock-full of history, science, botany, astronomy, geography, and the social lives of small villages. <br />
<br />
(Farrar Straus and Giroux. Available now. $27.00. Ages 16+.)<br />
<br />
<br />Rene' Kirkpatrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11128708635517763899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7394756814446390546.post-59235093599718895252014-01-03T21:54:00.002-08:002014-01-06T05:44:08.518-08:00Two Yellow Books: Mr. Penumbra and Radiant Filmstrips <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-jD9mYumaQ1A/Usb7_ptT1AI/AAAAAAAABhs/7IOoFU4u0HE/s1600/December+21+2013+029.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-jD9mYumaQ1A/Usb7_ptT1AI/AAAAAAAABhs/7IOoFU4u0HE/s320/December+21+2013+029.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Even when it seems dark and cold, there's new growth.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Sunrise was at 7:58 am, sunset will be at 4:31 pm. 1 minute, 6 seconds more daylight since Solstice. A quiet, inside-voice YAWP goes here. I am so looking forward to lighter skies when I get off the ferry, looking forward to wanting to stay away from my bed until at least 7 pm.<br />
<br />
I love the coziness of Winter. I turn all the tiny lights on, the Christmas lights that are up all year, the little lamps that cast small yellow glowing circles under their shades, the strings of lights along the walls. No big lights for me this time of year, no, I like the wombiness of it all. I just want to stay awake long enough to enjoy it!<br />
<br />
I love to cook when it start to gets dark, standing at the window and watching the neighbors coming home to their own yellow lit doorways, their own little fenced yards, their warm dogs waiting on the other side of the door. Our little street is strung in Christmas lights that stay up all year long and there are a few low street lights that make everything feel like something out of a Narnia story. Everyone walking on the street has somewhere exciting to go, usually accompanied by a dog, although at a slower pace this time of year.<br />
<br />
I just finished reading a couple of books written for grown-ups that really have nothing in common except that they were amazingly good and the covers are yellow. One glows in the dark. Most of you know that I prefer to read children's and young adult books so to find, read, and enjoy books for adult readers can be a real chore for me. They don't move quickly enough or they are too introspective or weird...I don't know, I prefer the books on the edges of literary fiction, I guess - or things that can be shared with someone else because it is universal in its story. <b>Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore</b>, by Robin Sloan, and <b>A Few Seconds of Radiant Filmstrip</b>, by Kevin Brockmeier, filled all <i>my </i>requirements for a good read on a dark day.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kRVf7c9RqSM/UscH7mFcYXI/AAAAAAAABh8/QFLjZD8unmQ/s1600/mr+penumbra+cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kRVf7c9RqSM/UscH7mFcYXI/AAAAAAAABh8/QFLjZD8unmQ/s200/mr+penumbra+cover.jpg" height="200" width="133" /></a></div>
Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore was so much fun! There's a little mystery, science fiction, a 24 hour bookstore in a big city, a secret cult dredging secrets for eternal life out of text, the merging of the computer worlds and paper book worlds, and, if I'd actually stopped reading long enough to make notes, a pretty good reading list, too!<br />
<br />
MP24HB is the story of a young man, Clay, out of a web-design job who serendipitously finds work as an old-school (and I do mean OLD SCHOOL) bookseller on the graveyard shift at a 24 hour bookstore where no one seems to buy anything. A very odd collection of customers find their way into the store, borrowing extremely weird and old books, most of which don't seem to be written in a language he is familiar with. As Clay watches and starts to know his customers, and as interesting as these books might be, he starts to wonder what really goes on here. Grabbing new and old friends to do a little investigating, they eventually find that the store is a front for a vast search for the secret of endless life.<br />
<br />
MP24HB is funny and clever and a lovely look at the world of bookstores and books (can't really say bookselling since very little of that happens here) and the joy of knowledge and of friendship. I loved how seamlessly Mr. Sloan combined the two sides of the book world, the paper and boards side with the downloadable and lit glass side. Something we may well have to get much more comfortable with (sigh). It was just a good romp and would be good for older teens as well as adults. It just came out in paperback and, yes, the PB glows in the dark, too. Well, the cover glows, the pages still need to be read in light.<br />
(Farrar Straus and Giroux. $15.00. Ages 16 and up.)<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0sGghfk5_SU/UscIYVQReNI/AAAAAAAABiI/maQiPcZ7L2U/s1600/few+seconds+radiant+filmstrip+cover.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0sGghfk5_SU/UscIYVQReNI/AAAAAAAABiI/maQiPcZ7L2U/s1600/few+seconds+radiant+filmstrip+cover.JPG" /></a></div>
I have no idea what made me pick this book up. I don't think I've read anything else by him. The advance reading copy I have has only black type (title, author, etc.) on a bright yellow cardstock cover. I usually don't read memoir or biography since I don't often know who they're about or care about the subject. I think <b>A Few Seconds of Radiant Filmstrip</b> may change my opinion about memoir, at least.<br />
<br />
FSRF was absolutely enthralling. Maybe because, timewise, it is familiar and recognizable. The music and the cultural references are things I'm familiar with and I'm now old enough to recognize them as artifacts of my youth, the book slides in to that space in my life like a CD into the only space left on the rack. I was also a seventh grader, once, and all seventh graders go through the same kinds of things, only the packaging changes.<br />
<br />
Kevin B. has, in this tiny volume, captured the universal feeling of what it means to be 12, all the fear, embarrassment, zits, wonder, and confusion that comes with being that age, but he uses such good words to share it! Give this to a 12 year-old and they will see themselves in it (although they probably won't appreciate it), give this to someone my age and the memories will color and enhance the words on the page. I was such a Kevin when I was that age. Clumsy, so thoughtful that it backfired, friends who were loving and hateful at the same time, awkward, too tall, too big, too too too everything...<br />
<br />
Kevin, looking back from the advantage of some number of decades, knows he is a boy on the edge of something big, he has no idea what it is, but he is ready to re-invent himself. He longs for more, he longs for better friends who understand him, maybe he longs for a girlfriend, at least a kiss from someone other than his mom; he longs for something he doesn't even know he wants. But he still feels most comfortable playing and hanging out talking about books with a new friend. He cries when his feelings are hurt, he wants to hug and be hugged. He's not quite sure what everyone's talking about. Over the course of the year he starts to find his way, as most of us eventually do.<br />
<br />
This was a funny and poignant book, filled with lots of cringe-worthy scenes (most of which we'll identify with), good humor, and thoughtful writing. It's hard to write a small book, it takes a lot fewer words and they have to be the exactly right ones. Thank you, Kevin Brockmeier, for finding those words and sharing them with us! (Pantheon Books. Available April 2014. $24.95.)<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
No recompense received for these reviews.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Rene' Kirkpatrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11128708635517763899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7394756814446390546.post-57462832694226667972014-01-02T09:56:00.001-08:002014-01-02T09:56:15.263-08:00Happy Solstice! <br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-bk_WDeG0tGQ/UsWWan6O2WI/AAAAAAAABhM/4-BHpVqqntI/s1600/december+2013+006.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-bk_WDeG0tGQ/UsWWan6O2WI/AAAAAAAABhM/4-BHpVqqntI/s320/december+2013+006.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The view from the Bainbridge side of the water.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Sunrise was at 7:55, sunset will be at 4:20 pm.<br />
<br />
Happy Solstice, all! It's the shortest day of the year, 8 hours, 25 minutes and 24 seconds of daylight, today. Tomorrow? We'll be up by 3 seconds! Calloo, Callay!<br />
<br />
In honor of our still beautiful and fairly gentle sunrises and sunsets, I give you the book of the day: <i><b>Burn Out</b></i>, by <b>Kristi </b><b>Helvig</b><i>. <b>Burn Out</b></i> is a rip-roaring, science fiction adventure featuring Tora Reynolds, the last person on Earth, as far as she knows. <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
300 years ago, an asteroid on an interception path with Earth was coming around the sun. The powers that be decided to try and deflect the moon-sized rock with a rocket, pushing it into the sun. <br />
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-xm4wZz6o42g/UsWl6tBgfEI/AAAAAAAABhg/ekCnQpMQb0I/s1600/Burn+Out+Cover.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-xm4wZz6o42g/UsWl6tBgfEI/AAAAAAAABhg/ekCnQpMQb0I/s1600/Burn+Out+Cover.JPG" /></a>Unfortunately,the asteroid had more dark matter than the scientists anticipated and the sun started to burn hydrogen faster. Soon the helium at the core was depleted and the sun began to burn out. As the sun started to die, it became much larger and life on earth disappeared. 300 years later, there are no oceans, water is only available in the air, and, when an earth-like planet was found, those who could, mostly the wealthy
and the scientists, flew as fast as they could to escape certain death,
taking with them all the politics, jealousy, and hatred they were part
of on Earth.<br />
<br />
Tora's life in her underground bunker is, as dull as it is, pretty darned exciting. She spends her time watching the little red lights on all her life support, hoping they don't change and blink out, watching her computer for anyone who might discover her website, and watching the artwork her dead sister made of flowers she'd never seen. When an old "friend" comes to visit from the new planet to try and convince her to give him the really good guns her scientist father left her so he can sell them to the politicians, life takes a completely different turn and dull would be a good thing.<br />
<br />
This is the kind of science fiction I love! Strong characters, good story building, science that makes sense (as far as I can tell), and something both sexes would thoroughly enjoy. Our world is really bleak but human resilience is strong. Tora and the people who want her guns are complex and well-developed and have a lot to lose if they can't figure out a way to work together. There is romance and fighting, massive wind storms in the nights, hope and despair, and it was a book I could not put down. I can't wait to tell people about it! <br />
<br />
Teachers: This could be a really good book to recommend to your students as it has a ton of good Common Core and STEM ingredients to it. <br />
<br />
(Egmont. Available April 14. Ages 12 and up. Call Eagle Harbor Books if you want a copy held for you!)<br />
(No recompense received for this post.) <br />
<br />
<br />
Rene' Kirkpatrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11128708635517763899noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7394756814446390546.post-55486195912463785682013-12-20T20:47:00.000-08:002013-12-20T20:47:25.079-08:00Snow and Books and More Books<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nS-p3xulstA/UrSNMcwvxNI/AAAAAAAABgs/qherHlSxWz4/s1600/December+21+2013+034.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nS-p3xulstA/UrSNMcwvxNI/AAAAAAAABgs/qherHlSxWz4/s320/December+21+2013+034.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
The first snow (oh, and probably the LAST one, too) of the year. So beautiful. The birds were totally into it. Those are bird prints under the feeder in the side yard. The hummingbird that rules the backyard has been making frequent forays to his feeder, too, running off the other hummingbird in the neighborhood from his vantage point on the curving blackberry canes over the hillside. I got up at 4:30 am and checked the streetlight below us and saw the first few flakes start to fall. Truly, the first snowfall is one of my favorite things.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-s9xg_g5TcqU/UrSSJ5rVb5I/AAAAAAAABg8/ndpxkP6sqtA/s1600/snow+truck+004.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-s9xg_g5TcqU/UrSSJ5rVb5I/AAAAAAAABg8/ndpxkP6sqtA/s320/snow+truck+004.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A truck full of books! Now, if I can get out of the driveway...</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Today, if all goes well and I can actually get out of the driveway, I will deliver 9 boxes of books to my local elementary school, Bailey Gatzert, on behalf of the Northwest Literacy Foundation. 2,500.00 worth of books going to the library! The librarian here, Kathleen West, sure knows her kids; she has boxes filled with reference books, books on Antarctica and sharks, joke books, books of world records, maps, lists...All 6 of the schools we'll be making deliveries to have very different collections and their librarians really know what they need in their libraries. One school is focusing on art, one on fiction, one has mostly picture books and poetry. <br />
<br />
The schools we deliver to are schools that may have to decide to provide lunch or books for their schools and, rightly so, need to provide lunch. NWLF helps with the book part. The schools are a melange of languages and are filled with the most amazing art and gardens, much of which are made by parents whose native language probably isn't English. The books we provide help the entire family as many of the kids will read and share these books with everyone at home. Happy New Year, kids!<br />
<br />
Books for this kind of come-in-from-out-of-the-cold day? Children's books about winter and snow,
mysteries, old classics like Rebecca, I Capture the Castle, and The Egg
and I. The Polar Express, Narnia, A Child's Christmas in Wales, Agatha Christie and Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple. A tidy little stack, a big old chair and a fine, heavy blanket will do for starters. Christmas lights, candles and the smell of cinnamon are a good chaser. A chance at a nap, two pairs of socks and an unbroken afternoon with time enough to slip deep inside one or two of those fine pieces of literature... that makes for a cozy, toasty day off.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Rene' Kirkpatrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11128708635517763899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7394756814446390546.post-48739676637133197502013-08-22T08:45:00.002-07:002013-08-22T08:45:52.185-07:00It Rained!Sunrise was at 6:06, sunset will be at 8:21. The sunsets have been so beautiful lately. Maybe it's the little bits of smoke in the air, the lower angle the sun comes in through the atmosphere, whatever it is, D and I have taken to walking out onto the patio to take a private moment from the rest of the day just to watch the world turn and slide away from the sun. We listen to the fountain burble, watch the bees in the lavender, and wait for the wind to come up as the sun sets. The planets appear, pop, pop, pop, and jets reflect back the last of the sun long after we no longer see it.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-CVuXu_3bmY0/Ugz-7RMtziI/AAAAAAAABfk/5zetlhkwwXQ/s1600/august+1+13+009.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="238" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-CVuXu_3bmY0/Ugz-7RMtziI/AAAAAAAABfk/5zetlhkwwXQ/s320/august+1+13+009.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">First drops of rain outside Eagle Harbor Books</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
You'd think it rained all the time here in the Seattle summertime. Well, it doesn't. There have been some summers when we've gotten maybe a week or so of rainy or misty weather, but this year those days have been rare. We got that one Friday when it POURED. ALL DAY! and then we got yesterday evening. It was a perfect day: lightly overcast so not so hot it kept people indoors, but warm enough to encourage them to walk slowly and browse. And then, in all that warmth, rain, sprinkles, a shower, just as I was heading to the ferry. Little cold drops of rain on hot skin, invigorating! And that peppery smell of hot, wet cement. Mmm. <br />
<br />
Here are three of my favorite young adult books (this month, so far), and one adult novel that would be a good crossover-to-teen read, featuring boys as the main characters. There's no fantasy (except for, maybe, those standard boy fantasies), no testing of wit or muscle to see who will survive the coming dystopian years, just good storytelling about life and the life-changing moments in it. They are listed in publication date order.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-H99iIDalnBQ/Ug-d1YbeiqI/AAAAAAAABf4/_bC_CDIzkGo/s1600/brewster+cover.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-H99iIDalnBQ/Ug-d1YbeiqI/AAAAAAAABf4/_bC_CDIzkGo/s1600/brewster+cover.JPG" /></a></div>
<i><b>Brewster</b></i>, by <b>Mark Slouka</b> (available now): This could be a great cross-over novel for older teens. It is a brilliant book about three friends and their love for each other. The story focuses on the two boys, Jon and Ray, longtime friends, and the new girl, Karen, they both love. It's filled with intense writing about growing up and secrets and how little power young adults have over their own lives. Very intense. Ray has issues he doesn't share, Karen loves Ray, Jon loves Karen, there's lots of cross country running and introspection; I loved this book and would have loved it as a teenager.<br />
W. W. Norton. Hardcover, $25.95. <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6QdsOYbXj84/Ug-eh_Jo16I/AAAAAAAABf8/D7UvVWAtu20/s1600/forgive+me+leonard+peacock+cover.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6QdsOYbXj84/Ug-eh_Jo16I/AAAAAAAABf8/D7UvVWAtu20/s1600/forgive+me+leonard+peacock+cover.JPG" /></a></div>
<i><b>Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock</b></i>, by <b>Matthew Quick</b> (August 2013): Wow. What a book! Leonard Peacock wakes up one morning, on his birthday, ready to kill his best friend and then himself. He has taken great pains to think of gifts to give to the people who mean the most to him, gets them wrapped up, cuts off his hair and then sets out to complete his plans and his life. Leonard and his best friend, Asher, the one he's going to kill, were inseparable until Asher did something unthinkable after a summer away and now, the only way to make it better, is to get rid of the two things that ruined it all: Leonard and Asher. <i><b>Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock </b></i>follows Leonard through the day as he makes his way to its inevitable end.<br />
<br />
This book was both difficult to read and impossible to put down. I was on the ferry reading this and kept thinking, "WHAT! What! How did you get to this point? Where are your safeties? Where are the grownups in your life?" Leonard's mother is completely dysfunctional, his friends are old men, gay teachers, a girl he doesn't know but treats badly, and a violinist who's been bullied. Leonard lives in his own head, trying to figure out what made Asher become the way he is and finally comes to the conclusion that the only thing that will save them both is murder and suicide. <i><b>FMLP</b></i> is hard to read, it's always hard to read a book about mental illness, about depression, about adults who are fettered by who and what they are so they can't or won't help out. <br />
<br />
<i><b>Like Thirteen Reasons Why</b></i>, by <b>Jay Asher</b>, our main character's reasoning makes his choice of murder/suicide seem perfectly reasonable. How many kids out there get to this point because they don't have someone who recognizes the signs of suicide or depression? Or do recognize the signs but are unable, for one reason or the other, to do anything about it?<br />
<br />
The book has a lot of footnotes that act as backstory - some people will hate this, I happen to like footnotes. After living with <i><b>FMLP </b></i>for a bit, I can see that <b>MQ</b> may have had a little checklist of things that suicidal kids will do, but it didn't interfere at all with my "enjoyment" of the book. Ages 13 and up. Little Brown. $17.99. <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-a0zxtLI0IZM/Ug_N3vJDHLI/AAAAAAAABgQ/I9Z1S7yaRPw/s1600/beginning+of+everything+cover.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-a0zxtLI0IZM/Ug_N3vJDHLI/AAAAAAAABgQ/I9Z1S7yaRPw/s1600/beginning+of+everything+cover.JPG" /></a></div>
<i><b>The Beginning of Everythin</b></i>g, by <b>Robyn Schneider</b> (September 2013): Sometimes it's good to get sick. The Beginning of Everything was the book I took to bed when I lost my voice and had a sore throat and just felt awful. Luckily, it was towards the top of the TBR pile next to the bed and the brightness of the cover called to me.<br />
<br />
Ezra's got some serious problems: He caught his girlfriend cheating on him with one of his teammates and, then, leaving the party where this happened, he was hit by a car that shattered his leg, ending his chances of going to college on a tennis scholarship. It's the beginning of his senior year and he's feeling more than a little unattached. He doesn't feel comfortable sitting at the team table or being a part of that group anymore so, he takes a chance and sits with his old best friend. Little things make big changes: change a seat: find a new friend, get challenged to debate club: learn a skill, help the new girl: find a new life. When Ezra meets Cassidy Thorpe his life explodes like a firecracker*. Ezra's never met anyone like her before. She is happy and funny and really smart and she likes him, too. As they begin to get closer and start to fall in love, and Ezra begins to see that there are good things still in his life, secrets begin to edge into their perfect happiness.<br />
<br />
<i><b>The Beginning of Everything</b></i> is funny and heartbreaking and one of the best books I've read this summer. It's a book of change, loss, recovery, discovery and a smart, witty one at that. Ezra and Cassidy are the high school romance everyone wishes they had.<br />
<br />
*This is from the uncorrected text, sorry, but I can't wait to share it: C and E are watching the fireworks at Disneyland from the roof of a car and they are talking about the word <i>sillage</i>. Cassidy says it's the word "for remembering small moments destined to be lost." Sigh. Ages 13 and up. Katherine Tegen Books. $17.99.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DutttjkSGJw/UhYqiMp15fI/AAAAAAAABgc/1N88knW87YM/s1600/scar+boys+cover.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DutttjkSGJw/UhYqiMp15fI/AAAAAAAABgc/1N88knW87YM/s1600/scar+boys+cover.JPG" /></a></div>
<i><b>The Scar Boys</b></i>, by <b>Len Vlahos</b> (January 2014): Wow, the back of the ARC I have is <i>covered</i> in bookseller blurbs and reviews! Scar Boys is written by "that guy from ABA". Len was once the Chief Operating Officer of the American Booksellers Association and I am sure glad he decided to add author to his CV. <br />
<br />
Harry Jones was tied to a tree during a lightning storm. A burning branch broke off and Harry was horribly burned. Covered in scars, he is pretty much left alone alone until he meets Johnny McKenna in 8th grade. Johnny is one of those boys who has all the ideas and the energy to make something happen. Harry is happy to be one of his friends and a part of the circle Johnny travels in since having someone accept him as he is is something that doesn't happen often. When they decide to start a band in high school, they don't expect it to go much beyond the garage, but sometimes life has funny ideas about what you're really going to do.<br />
<br />
Written as a college application essay, Harry tells the story of his life and how his friendship with Johnny was both freeing and binding. The Scar Boys is a funny and wrenching story of love, friendship and rock and roll. I'd love to read this with a mix tape of the chapter headings playing along. 14+. Egmont. $17.99.Rene' Kirkpatrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11128708635517763899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7394756814446390546.post-79394057198153321042013-08-08T07:26:00.000-07:002013-08-08T07:26:58.766-07:00Guest Post (Thanks, Annie!) <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_O1cFuuLPOw/Uf0gcs_4dyI/AAAAAAAABfU/XZ0_vROlMa4/s1600/July+1-5+2013+004.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="238" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_O1cFuuLPOw/Uf0gcs_4dyI/AAAAAAAABfU/XZ0_vROlMa4/s320/July+1-5+2013+004.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The blue skies over the ferry building on Bainbridge Island</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Sunrise was at 5:49, sunset will be at 8:42. Cold. Wet. Finally. It was the driest July in history. It was beautiful, it was warm and breezy, it was weird. We had muggy. We had the bluest skies you'll ever see. We had amazing mountain views and many rides on the OUTside of the ferry. But we live in Seattle for a reason and I yearned for a little rain. We had a few heavy squalls yesterday and I know I need to go and clean the gutters today. The air smells clean and everything looks just a little brighter.<br />
<br />
The photos on the left are from my commute over the summer. <br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-7gG4tLH-yp0/Uf0f0jd9I2I/AAAAAAAABfE/cz7uUTlab_A/s1600/June+2013+photos+010.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="238" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-7gG4tLH-yp0/Uf0f0jd9I2I/AAAAAAAABfE/cz7uUTlab_A/s320/June+2013+photos+010.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We might not have rain, but we had dramatic skies at sunset</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Today, I am posting a link to my friend Annie's blog post about President Obama's visit to a new Amazon warehouse opening. Annie is a writer and a Third Place Books bookseller. In her post is a letter from the ABA (American Booksellers Association) to Mr. Obama about his decision to deliver his newest jobs speech at the new Tennessee warehouse. <br />
<br />
Please click <a href="http://annierosebooks.blogspot.com/">here</a> and thank you.<br />
<br />
Thanks, Annie, for letting me piggieback on your <br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-VJ4mLd_VlFA/Uf0gRXdSSsI/AAAAAAAABfM/qNneM8rOGQ4/s1600/June+2013+photos+041.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-VJ4mLd_VlFA/Uf0gRXdSSsI/AAAAAAAABfM/qNneM8rOGQ4/s320/June+2013+photos+041.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And fog. Lots of fog, from little wisps to full on peasoupers</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
post!<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
Rene' Kirkpatrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11128708635517763899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7394756814446390546.post-85261150594767313792013-08-02T09:00:00.002-07:002013-08-02T09:00:32.693-07:00Three Books for Second Grade <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-H4iyExow-J4/UfSaDobRttI/AAAAAAAABeE/m6CGIgHXIoM/s1600/July+26+2013+025.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-H4iyExow-J4/UfSaDobRttI/AAAAAAAABeE/m6CGIgHXIoM/s320/July+26+2013+025.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
Sunrise 5:42, sunset, 8:49. It's hot.<br />
<br />
There is poetry everywhere. I was walking home from work and heading up Yesler Street, just across from Smith Tower, up the street from the Mission. There's a little square, a park, there, with some granite pieces, lots of bricks, homeless guys, drug dealers and buyers, and poetry. One, maybe two, words per brick describing the history of Seattle in this out of the way, kind of scary at night, corner of poetry. If the sun hadn't been at just the right angle, if I hadn't had to move to the right to get out of the way of a woman having a violent argument with herself, I never would have seen these words stamped into the cobbled bricks that make up the sidewalks in this park. There are poems about the trees being cut down, poems about the skid road that Yesler once was, the hotel that in the '70's became a free or pay what you can place to stay that was on this corner. There is the history of the man and the daughters who lived here and built the buildings and ships that helped make Seattle the city it is. I was stunned and surprised and now find myself searching for other hidden art in the city.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-HYcXWT3cDVE/UfSew0VxpAI/AAAAAAAABeU/RMgE4nEPiMk/s1600/Photos+from+IPhone+May2013+434.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-HYcXWT3cDVE/UfSew0VxpAI/AAAAAAAABeU/RMgE4nEPiMk/s320/Photos+from+IPhone+May2013+434.JPG" width="320" /></a> I suppose there is some sort of plaque somewhere with information, I didn't see anything, but I was a little shy of asking people to move so I could look where they were standing. I may have to go to work earlier one day and see what I can see while everyone is still in bed. If you are ever on that corner, it's next to the Quintessa condos, let me know what you find. It's a little bit of overlooked, off the tourist grid, made for those who live here every day, Seattle magic, like the UPS park with the waterfalls and those gorgeous manhole covers you find just out in the open.<br />
<br />
The three books I'll be telling you about next are also little bits of art that could be easily overlooked, not because the authors aren't known, but because they are aimed at second and third graders.<br />
<br />
Often, adult readers will hand these books to their kids, without reading them themselves, thereby missing some of the most touching, best written pieces of the book arts! Some of the best books written are written for this age. Authors of this level of book must be extraordinarily selective with the words they use, nestling each to the next carefully, that the language is often richer and more nuanced than books for older readers. Just try to write something interesting for an eight year-old without bludgeoning them with words! It takes a master of language to choose the exact words to convey an idea that is new to a new reader, without expanding the page number, making the font size smaller, or making it all too cute. The best books for this age include exquisite writing tangled with realistic memories of discovering just how big the world is at the very moment the (often very small) child realizes his place in it, and then giving the story an engaging, realistic reason for reading. (These books are in alpha order by author.)<br />
<br /><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
DefSemiHidden="true" DefQFormat="false" DefPriority="99"
LatentStyleCount="267">
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="0" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Normal"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="heading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="35" QFormat="true" Name="caption"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="10" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" Name="Default Paragraph Font"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="11" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtitle"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="22" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Strong"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="20" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="59" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Table Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Placeholder Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="No Spacing"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Revision"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="34" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="List Paragraph"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="29" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="30" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="19" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="21" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="31" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="32" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="33" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Book Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="37" Name="Bibliography"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" QFormat="true" Name="TOC Heading"/>
</w:LatentStyles>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]>
<style>
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-qformat:yes;
mso-style-parent:"";
mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin-top:0in;
mso-para-margin-right:0in;
mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt;
mso-para-margin-left:0in;
line-height:115%;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;}
</style>
<![endif]--><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1Fn-XcWgvVY/Ufs7t0hDuuI/AAAAAAAABek/OsDm_Y32N54/s1600/great+unexpected+cover.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1Fn-XcWgvVY/Ufs7t0hDuuI/AAAAAAAABek/OsDm_Y32N54/s1600/great+unexpected+cover.JPG" /></a><b><i>The Great Unexpected</i></b>, by<b> Sharon Creech</b>, is magical in the way only real life
can be, filled with serendipity, boys falling out of trees, friends and
families connected across time and space. <i><b>The Great Unexpected</b></i> is about two girls,
best friends and orphans, one practical, one flitty, and the very charming boy
they find when he falls out of a tree.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
sudden insertion of Finn, making a trio out of what was once a duet, changes
the dynamics of their friendship.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Toss
in the machinations of adults (who still act like their childhood selves), a
few locked trunks, and the lives of three children are changed forever in this
lovely story about growing up.<br />
<br />
The back of the book says it's good for ages 8-12. You have to know your audience for this particular book. Yes, 8 year olds will be able to read it, but there is an awful lot of reflection about change and desire. The best age for <i><b>The Great Unexpected</b></i> might be 10-12, young enough to still want magic in the world, unworldly enough to only think about what a first kiss might be like, and old enough to want to know more. (HarperCollins. Available now in hardcover for $16.99, but coming in paperback in September for $6.99.)<br />
<br />
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-cMdKrfafWTQ/Ufs7xEsyjbI/AAAAAAAABes/5qkdU-10Sxw/s1600/fly+away+cover.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-cMdKrfafWTQ/Ufs7xEsyjbI/AAAAAAAABes/5qkdU-10Sxw/s1600/fly+away+cover.JPG" /></a><i><b>Fly Away</b></i>, by <b>Patricia MacLachan</b>, is a tiny little jewel of a story with great big concepts and problems. Lucy is the oldest child in a family who can all sing. Lucy can't sing, her words won't come in song. She longs to be a poet, setting her words loose in the world that way. When Aunt Frankie's farm is threatened by flood, the whole family goes to help her out. Aunt Frankie is a very capable woman and unhappy that they've all come - she is sure she can handle the water, the missing porch, the handyman who's attached himself to the house. But when Lucy's little brother, Teddy, goes missing in the storm, Lucy is the only one who can sing him home.<br />
<br />
Tears in my eyes for the ending of this one. No, not just tears, there was a hiccup of a sob going on, too. I LOVE Lucy. She is brave and uncomfortable, she keeps good secrets and keeps secrets well, she is a good and giving friend and sister. One of the main tangents in the book is that Lucy's dad really wanted to be a poet and now raises cows because he could never "write anything better than a cow". Lucy wants to write him a poem, one day, one that will be as beautiful as a cow. Make a note of this one, kids, it's really good. You'll want a stack of this on your shelves. Ages 7 and up. McElderry Books. (Available April, 2014! $15.99.)<br />
<i><b><br /></b></i>
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KBenaQrFywk/Ufs7zJlntbI/AAAAAAAABe0/1WRYxwC0DXQ/s1600/year+of+billy+miller+cover.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KBenaQrFywk/Ufs7zJlntbI/AAAAAAAABe0/1WRYxwC0DXQ/s1600/year+of+billy+miller+cover.JPG" /></a><i><b>The Year of Billy Miller</b></i>, by <b>Kevin Henkes</b>, is one of those perfect books for kids of this age. Billy Miller is going into second grade after a summer of small trauma. He fell and hit his head, had a huge bump, and then overheard his parents talking about how that might affect him. He begins to worry about whether he's going to be smart enough to go to second grade, he was so happy, beforehand, so looking forward to everything. He's reassured about that but when he gets to that first day of school, everything that can go wrong does. He's in the wrong seat, does something that might have hurt his teacher's feelings, meets his first bully...not the most stellar of beginnings. Billy's family is wonderful and real. His dad is a stay at home dad/artist in a slump and his mom works long hours. There's a bit of sibling rivalry. There's tension here but nothing that can't be solved. <br />
<br />
This is such a good look into this time period of a child's life. Things start changing when you get to second grade. There's a lot of new information, friendships change, there's an awareness of adult tensions and worry, and it's a time when the child realizes s/he isn't the only one in the world and that their actions matter. Kevin has a deft way with dealing with the worry and travail of the lives of children. There isn't anything pat or condescending in how things are resolved, Billy has to solve these problems on his own, sometimes not making the best choices.<br />
<br />
I love how normal Kevin's (yes, I call him Kevin because his books make me think I am his friend) families are. Unlike many books for these ages, there's nothing spectacular that happens, no flying cats or hidden doors (although those are good things, too). The joy of reading his books is seeing ourselves and our small joys, worries, and successes reflected in the pages. Greenwillow Books. (Available September 14, 2013. $16.99.)<br />
<br />
There are other books like these, small books well-written, for the younger reader that are just as appealing to the adults who share them. What follows are a few you adults might check out when you are in the mood for something you can take to the tub, read and maybe finish at lunch, or are at the bar while waiting for someone. <br />
<br />
<i><b>Cobble Street Cousin</b></i>s, by<b> Cynthia Rylant</b>: 6 little books about three cousins living with their aunt while their parents are on a ballet tour around the world. We all know that a lot of kids' books remove the parents in some sort of horrible way, death, jail, some unknown removal. How nice that these kids will see their parents again! AND the art work by Wendy Anderson Halperin is perfect for these stories.<br />
<br />
<i><b>Alvin Ho</b></i>, by <b>Lenore Look</b>, is a funny series about Alvin, a second grader who is scared of EVERYTHING! Until he gets home where he is a superhero and a gentleman-in-training so he can be like his dad. Great illustrations by <b>LeUyen Pham</b>. <i><b>The Ruby Lu</b></i> books, also by<b> Lenore Look</b>, illustrated by <b>Anne Wilsdorf</b>, are not quite as popular but I think that's because boys need books at this level more than girls do. And we know that boys often won't read books about girls...<br />
<br />
<i><b>Frog and Toad</b></i>, by <b>Arnold Lobel</b>, may seem a little easier, but they are perfect first chapter books. I love the way the books are set up with chapters and page numbers and enough pages to read to the end of a chapter and to then need a bookmark so you can find where you left off. How empowering is that for a new reader? Filled with upsets and problems, Frog and Toad will always be best friends, no matter where there adventures lead them. <br />
<br />
Well, that's enough of that. This is a really long post already - there are just so many good books out there! I hope you enjoy these books, let me know what you think. <br />
<br />
<br />
(There has been no remuneration for the mention of the books on this blog.) <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Rene' Kirkpatrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11128708635517763899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7394756814446390546.post-77024657048693796772013-07-27T11:36:00.004-07:002013-07-27T11:36:56.274-07:00Cars, Cars, More Cars and a List<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
Sunrise was at 5:41, sunset will be at 8:50 pm. It's cool this morning, and the day should only get to 78 degrees. We'll see about that. Sometimes the weather here is notoriously difficult to chase down. It is clear, though, with big blue skies and a nice little breeze. <br />
<br />
I've not usually been a HUGE fan of cars; I like the ones I drive, I loved my little blue Chevy Nova, but I <i>am</i> a fan of design and there's something about a car you can live in, like a spare, movable sitting room, that makes me swoon. Dennis' family and I went to the<a href="http://www.lemaymuseum.org/"> LeMay Auto Museum</a> in Tacoma on a sweltering Saturday afternoon and spent a wonderful three hours walking along the most ab-fab automobiles ever made.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9VDgoAKA1qg/UfLGSMcJ5BI/AAAAAAAABdM/suWVm6_5J7s/s1600/July+26+2013+033.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9VDgoAKA1qg/UfLGSMcJ5BI/AAAAAAAABdM/suWVm6_5J7s/s320/July+26+2013+033.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
There were so many exquisite little details on all these cars, cars that ran the gamut from a motor on 4 wheels, a seat and a steering wheel, to limousines that fit entire families, outfitted with radios, talking tubes, clocks, and ASHTRAYS! Remember ashtrays? Look how very forward thinking this headpiece is on the front of this car. It's a little rocket.<br />
There was so much Bakelite, in so many gorgeous colors, clear, opaque, bound by chrome, on the ends of gear shifts, radio faces, ashtrays, exquisite jewels in all that metal.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-cm8ogDzwMrI/UfLGXPiBLAI/AAAAAAAABdU/xJVEJImyI3k/s1600/July+26+2013+035.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-cm8ogDzwMrI/UfLGXPiBLAI/AAAAAAAABdU/xJVEJImyI3k/s320/July+26+2013+035.JPG" width="320" /></a>This is the trunk end of the above car. I love the echo of above's rocket in the rear lights. There is a metal step near the spare tire in the same rocket shape (and don't you wish the spare tires we carry in our cars now were just as stylish?) to help get into the rumble seat. The leather seat is the color of pumpkin soup. Don't you just love the curved, bow shape of the bumper? <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ObHJr8cTfFw/UfLGh9qPFzI/AAAAAAAABdc/tHs7AwvqDaM/s1600/July+26+2013+037.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ObHJr8cTfFw/UfLGh9qPFzI/AAAAAAAABdc/tHs7AwvqDaM/s320/July+26+2013+037.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
The whole shape of this car is gorgeous. The running board wooden and the front lights are attached to the forward wheel areas.<br />
<br />
The hood has a handle on the side next to the lamp, and the door hinges are massive!<br />
<br />
Can you imagine how difficult it would be to change the tires? That whole bottom edge has to be removed. There is a moon roof and I absolutely love the shape of the windows. There are no straight lines anywhere!<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-9zcGVschYWg/UfLGmueMNzI/AAAAAAAABdk/KWo0NfQFVXQ/s1600/July+26+2013+039.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-9zcGVschYWg/UfLGmueMNzI/AAAAAAAABdk/KWo0NfQFVXQ/s320/July+26+2013+039.JPG" width="320" /></a>There's not much I can tell you about the turquoise one except that it's a Ford. Look at that grill! I don't know if it did, but wouldn't it be something if it glowed a fiery red as it roared down the road towards you? The engine was huge and I love the shape of the hood, It would be pretty open as well as closed. Two seats only, this is a rocket of a car. <br />
<br />
It was a real event to spend this time at the museum. The first car I ever remembered was my mom's Kaiser. No one I know has heard of the Kaiser but there was one on exhibit, right near the front of the first floor. A monster of a car that had a back window big enough for my little brother to sleep in. And, yes, he did. The glove compartment transported my fishbowl, with fish and water, to our new home on the Oregon coast when we moved from Eugene. It was a big enough car to carry three kids, a dog, all our stuff, and our mom. All my Monkees records made it intact.<br />
<br />
Anyway. If you have an open afternoon, take a drive to Tacoma and spend some time at the LeMay Museum. There is a wonderful deck that looks out over Tacoma's downtown and waterways and that lovely suspension bridge, and a little cafe if you need a snack. There are a couple of driving games and a racetrack, too, for those who have the need for speed.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-yMYhL_zucT4/UfQS9vud5jI/AAAAAAAABd0/-0u2ML94W6g/s1600/cars+and+trucks+and+things+that+go+cover.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-yMYhL_zucT4/UfQS9vud5jI/AAAAAAAABd0/-0u2ML94W6g/s1600/cars+and+trucks+and+things+that+go+cover.JPG" /></a>This museum trip would be well accompanied by a box of books with a "Cars and Trucks and Things that Go" theme. All cars need a book box and this would be a fairly easy one to compile. The following list is in alphabetical order because all the books are good ones and I wouldn't want any of them to think I liked one over the other (and hey, Moms, look at how many of these are written by women!):<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Adventures of Taxi Dog</b>, by Debra and Sam Barracca (LOTS of things to look for in the pictures.)<b> </b><br />
<b>Cars and Trucks and Things That Go</b>, by Richard Scarry<b> </b><br />
<b>Frank and Ernest on the Road</b>, by Alexandra Day (this is out of print, try your library for it. F&E take a temporary job driving a truck and must learn Trucker's Language. A large glossary is included.) <br />
<b>Freight Train</b>, by Donald Crews (I especially like the board book format with the slide apart pages.)<br />
<b>Goodnight, Goodnight Construction Site</b>, by Sherry Duskey Rinker <br />
<b>I Stink!</b>, by Kate and Jim McMullan<br />
<b>If I Built a Car</b>, by Chris Van Deusen <br />
<b>Little Blue Truck</b>, by Alice Schertle<br />
<b>Little Fire Engine</b>, by Lois Lenski<br />
<b>Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel</b>, by Virginia Lee Burton<br />
<b>Night Driving</b>, by John Coy<br />
<b>Otis</b>, by Loren Long <br />
<b>Road Builders</b>, by B G Hennessy<br />
<b>School Bus</b>, by Donald Crews<br />
<b>Truck Book</b>, by Henry McNaught <br />
<b>Trucks, Trucks, Trucks</b>, by Peter Sis <br />
<b>Wheels on the Bus</b>, by Paul Zelinsky <br />
<b>Where Do Diggers Sleep at Night?</b>, by Brianna Caplan Sayles<br />
<br />
<br />Rene' Kirkpatrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11128708635517763899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7394756814446390546.post-41528344937753007282013-07-26T11:31:00.001-07:002013-07-26T11:31:43.944-07:00Summer, Science Fiction, and a Wide Open Day OffSunrise was at 5:31(5:40) and sunset will be at 9 (8:51) pm. (As usual, I get started on a post and get interrupted for a week. Look at the difference in time in just a week! 18 minutes less daylight in one week.)<br />
<br />
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-yw0u8t5FYaI/UfKnL-j6P9I/AAAAAAAABb0/5LF8H0ToWcw/s1600/July+26+2013+048.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-yw0u8t5FYaI/UfKnL-j6P9I/AAAAAAAABb0/5LF8H0ToWcw/s320/July+26+2013+048.JPG" width="320" /></a>This morning is cool and the air feels wet. The lilacs have a few red leaves already! NOOOOO! I'm not ready! Summer just got started! The air at the downside of the day is hot and a gorgeous shade of yellowy orange, it just feels like summer. Everyone is in shorts and sandals, walking slowly with bags slung over shoulders. There are lots of hats. Getting off the ferry and walking through Pioneer Square in the heat of the day, the scent of summer is redolent of urine, popcorn and beer. Coming through in the morning: wet, oceany salt air. Lots of homeless people, local artists, and tourists share the benches and the cobblestones under shading trees in the the park. It's a beautiful square with a totem pole and a pergola. Lots of seating and people and a food truck. <br />
<br />
I love reading science fiction in the summer. I love reading science fiction anytime but especially in the summer- there's something about the heat, the laziness of the day, that makes it easy to imagine the world as it could be, the universe seems so much closer to hand when the twilights are long and the days are hot. I especially like re-reading my favorites when there isn't anything new to take on: <i><b>Dune</b></i>, by <b>Frank</b> <b>Herbert</b>, <i><b>Battlefield Earth</b></i>, by <b>L. Ron Hubbard</b>, <i><b>Something Wicked This Way Comes</b></i>, by <b>Ray</b> <b>Bradbury</b>, <i><b>Ender's Game</b></i>, by <b>Orson Scott Card</b>. But, this summer? There's some good stuff out there:<br />
<br />
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Brh07NHzjxQ/UfK7T0zsa4I/AAAAAAAABcE/IvaNZG_j-LU/s1600/red+rising+cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Brh07NHzjxQ/UfK7T0zsa4I/AAAAAAAABcE/IvaNZG_j-LU/s200/red+rising+cover.jpg" width="132" /></a><i><b>Red Rising</b></i>, by <b>Pierce Brown</b>, is the story of a young man, Darrow, who is made the savior of his people, a group of Helium-3 miners living deep under the red dust and rock of Mars. When Darrow's wife, Eo, is executed for showing him a forbidden garden filled with grass and a view of stars, he is recruited to stand for his people against the extraordinarily wealthy elites who rule the planet. <br />
<br />
Lots of action, lots of gore, lots of twists, turns and secrets, lots of very effective female characters with some pretty amazing skills, <i><b>Red Rising</b></i> is a great read for a hot summer day. I was pages from the end in the eye doctor's office, double dilation, and <i>had</i> to keep reading in the quiet light while my pupils kept enlarging. I just couldn't not know how the first in this series of three ended before I could see clearly again! Oh, it was good! <br />
<br />
As much as I loved reading this during the summer days of Seattle, it won't be out until FEBRUARY! 2014! But I had to talk about it now or I will forget how much I enjoyed it. If you like this kind of thing, put your name down on your local bookstore's list and you'll have such a nice surprise when those horribly slow, dark, gray days of February arrive. <br />
<br />
<i><b>Red Rising</b></i> would be good for teens, too, maybe 14 and up as there is a good deal of blood and sex (not such graphic sex, but very graphic violence). If you need comparisons: <i><b>Hunger Games</b></i>, by <b>Suzanne</b> <b>Collins</b>, and <i><b>The </b><b>Testing</b></i>, by <b>Joelle Charbonneau</b>, and a little of the movie <i><b>Total Recall</b></i> (based on the story "<i>We can Remember It for You Wholesale</i>", by <b>Philip K. Dick</b>). Ballantine Books. Available February 2014. $25.00. <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dM7DPGHbv_E/UfK73VymlVI/AAAAAAAABcM/WdpfHS-SGn4/s1600/the+testing+cover.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dM7DPGHbv_E/UfK73VymlVI/AAAAAAAABcM/WdpfHS-SGn4/s1600/the+testing+cover.JPG" /></a></div>
Speaking of <i><b>The Testing</b></i>, by <b>Joanne Charbonneau</b>: For those who love a dystopian novel, this is a good one for you. Long after the Seven Stages War leaves the planet mostly wasteland, there are signs of recovery. The people who survived had to find ways to make the world a place for their children. Over the many years between the war and now, those who were able collected grass seeds, found water, discovered how to make machines and then how to keep them working, and gradually built small holdings that became towns and then cities filled with crops and barterable goods. Each little holding may specialize in something particular, like especially adaptable grass seed that could be used for grain. <br />
<br />
Once a year, the best and brightest of the holdings' children are tested, these few will go onto college, onto careers. Those who are chosen will become the heads of their own places or will be sent out to other townships to help with whatever their particular skills include. First, though, they have to survive the Testing.<br />
<br />
Just before Cai Vale leaves to participate in the choosing, her father tells her to trust no one. Not even friends from her own town. The best of the Test may not be the brightest, they may just be the one who survives the Test by any means possible.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Xg7nkXI8kzU/UfK-naDu2CI/AAAAAAAABc8/fX-KAW-vfno/s1600/independent+study+cover.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Xg7nkXI8kzU/UfK-naDu2CI/AAAAAAAABc8/fX-KAW-vfno/s1600/independent+study+cover.JPG" /></a><i><b>The Testing</b></i> was a good read, I loved the environmental issues that were brought up, I thought the way we get to this position in our future history was well thought out - I kind of wish there were other books than <i><b>Hunger Games</b></i> to compare it to, though. Ages 12 and up. Houghton Mifflin. Available now. $17.99. The sequel, <i><b>Independent Study</b></i>, will be available January 7, 2014.<br />
<br />
My good friends at Orbit Books (part of the Hachette Books Group) just sent me a small stack of brand new science fiction books- I've dabbled in a couple of them and one in particular seems especially good, although it requires serious attention to details. I'm looking forward to settling in on the chaise out on the patio with a tall glass of something cool and pale with these:<br />
<br />
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-tY5VlYhKkCY/UfK9CXJyG1I/AAAAAAAABcg/41iRX-Z1f7Y/s1600/fortunes+pawn+cover.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-tY5VlYhKkCY/UfK9CXJyG1I/AAAAAAAABcg/41iRX-Z1f7Y/s1600/fortunes+pawn+cover.JPG" /></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9HVwAx0wGdM/UfK8zswHXSI/AAAAAAAABcY/m0eTJMjH7Y8/s1600/ancillary+justice+cover.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9HVwAx0wGdM/UfK8zswHXSI/AAAAAAAABcY/m0eTJMjH7Y8/s1600/ancillary+justice+cover.JPG" /></a><i><b>Ancillary Justice</b></i>, by <b>Ann Leckie</b>, science fiction about a woman who was once an intelligent starship, now a frail human bent on revenge. There are aliens in this one;<br />
<br />
<i><b>Fortune's Pawn</b></i>, by <b>Rachel Bach</b>, science fiction about an ambitious mercenary who signs on to a ship and a mission that could kill her;<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-OiUPLOg6d-c/UfK9SaXL0II/AAAAAAAABco/43tJGLLM5K8/s1600/dance+of+pawns+cover.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-OiUPLOg6d-c/UfK9SaXL0II/AAAAAAAABco/43tJGLLM5K8/s1600/dance+of+pawns+cover.JPG" /></a></div>
<i><b>Dance of Cloaks</b></i>, by <b>David Dalglish</b>, a fantasy about "an underworld reaching for ultimate power";<br />
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0ulAyTiBu34/UfK9d6q968I/AAAAAAAABcw/tzzlSbiwFqw/s1600/parasite+cover.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0ulAyTiBu34/UfK9d6q968I/AAAAAAAABcw/tzzlSbiwFqw/s1600/parasite+cover.JPG" /></a><br />
<i><b>Parasite</b></i>, by <b>Mira Gran</b>t, a thriller about parasites. <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
I'll let you know about these as I go along!<br />
<br />
(No remuneration was received for these reviews.)<br />
<br />
<br />Rene' Kirkpatrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11128708635517763899noreply@blogger.com0