It's All About the Book

When it’s about Socrates. I saw Wise Guy: the Life and Philosophy of Socrates by Mark David Usher somewhere online recently and thought

H’mmmmm. A picture book about Socrates? How odd. I should check this out.

It helped that the cover shows this cherubic little guy with a laurel crown (or very kinky hair…I can’t decide which) on his head, lounging atop a Greek temple looking very sweet. Now, if anything says “Socrates” it’s sweet and cherubic, right? H’mmmmm. H’mmmmmm. H’mmmmm.

Anyway, I put it on hold borrowed it from Fairport. I opened it, admired the illustrations, then began to read. And knew immediately that the author knew nothing about writing for children. (If you know Socrates or have attempted to read this book, you’ll get the pun in the last sentence.)

Now maybe I’m too far removed from reading picture books to my kids, but really. The reviews recommend this book for “budding philosophers” ages 8 and up. Maybe my kids are a little further down on the philosophy scale than some, but my recollection of the extent of their attempts at philosophy at age 8 involved questions like “Why do I always get stuck on the soccer team that never wins?” and “How come peas taste like dirt?”

There are just some subjects that should remain in the realm of adulthood, and Greek philosophy is one of them.

I plowed through a whole bunch of books in the last two weeks and throughly enjoyed every minute — or at least thoroughly enjoyed the act of reading if not the book itself. Here’s my latest…

The Whispering Road by Livi Michael – I freely admit that I am a book -judger-by-its-cover kind of reader. Sometimes I get a dud, but most often I get what I got from this book — a true little gem of a story.We first meet Joe and Annie as they struggle to escape the tortuous servitude they suffer under Old Bert and The Mistress. The children manage to get away and literally bump into Travis, a man of the Road, who saves them from certain death. Travis introduces our two young heroes to life on the Road, teaching them to hear through their feet, find food, and stay safe on the dangerous byways of England in the grip of the Industrial Revolution. Eventually, the pair find their way to a traveling show where Annie’s ability to commune with the dead lands her in the spotlight. Joe, jealous of Annie’s “talent” and of the attention she gets from the show crowd, hoofs it into Manchester, the blackest of the black industrial towns. There he hooks up with a gang called the Little Angels and begins a life right out of Oliver Twist. After much drama, Joe finds his way back to Annie, who desperately needs him. The two find each other and find a home. Happily. Ever. After.

Despite the tremendous number of plot twists and turns, I completely enjoyed this story. It presents an unusual look at the life of children during the Industrial Revolution, a point in history before the concept of “childhood” was known. The heart-rending choices made by parents who could no longer care for their children are presented in a way that will make any parent cringe. Although there are a few instances where I think the editing could be better — for instance, I somehow doubt that a 19th century English child would have “freaked out” — I had a fine time reading this one and would recommend it for ages 10 and up.

Urban Legends: 666 Absolutely True Stories That Happened to a Friend…of A Friend…Of A Friend – I can’t help it. I love urban legends and tales of the weird and macabre. The 001’s and 398’s are my favorite sections of non-fiction. And this collection of UL’s didn’t disappoint. Sure, there was the ubiquitous “spiders in the beehive” but also plenty that I’d never heard before, like “The Slasher Under the Car” which involves frat boys with a shoe fetish making pledges hide underneath cars. When a woman wearing a tasty pair of shoes stands next to the car, the pledge slashes her ankles, causing her to fall to the ground in fear and pain, while he slides out from under the car and makes off with the shoes. Lots of light, amusing reading here folks.

Triangle by Katharine Weber – I picked this one up because it appeared on all the “best of” or “must read” lists for the summer. It tells the story of one girl who escaped the notorious Triangle Shirtwaist factory fire and how her escape was not all it appeared. Truthfully, I don’t know why this is stirring so much interest. Well, that’s only partly true. It’s stirring up interest because of the topic — the Triangle Shirtwaist disaster — but it is such a strange book that I wonder how many people who pick it up put it down after the first few chapters. I had a heck of a time getting through Chapter 2 which was all about George Botkin’s musical genius. Maybe it’s because I’m not a musician, but I really didn’t get the whole thing about composing and the connection to the fire. Overall, this was a big disappointment.

The Judas Pair by Jonathan Gash – It occurred to me a few weeks ago that I had never read any of the Lovejoy mystery books by Gash, so I put a hold on his first — The Judas Pair. As soon as I started it, memory flooded back. I had read Lovejoy before, and I immediately remembered why I hated him. It could have been this passage on page 9:

• “I gave her a backhander to calm the issue somewhat, at which she settled weeping while I found a coat. I’m all for sex equality.”

And the domestic abuse continued throughout the chapter. Maybe when this was written in 1977, it was acceptable to beat a woman with whom you’ve just had sex. But sorry…not my cup of tea, thank you very much.

This book meme was posted on Watat.com recently, and even though I was tagged and answered a version of this one awhile ago, Adrienne and Big A little a have twisted it to apply only to children’s books. So, yes. I am answering it again. Skip it if you’re not interested…

1. One book that changed your life.

   Strange as it may sound, I have to say it was The Phantom of Pine Hill by Carolyn Keene. Reading this Nancy Drew book was the first time I ever experienced the all-consuming rush of not being able to put a book down. Although now I find myself somewhat appalled at Ned’s costume on the cover.

2. One book you have read more than once.

   Witch of the Cumberlands by Mary Jo Stephens. I actually bought this book from the Gates Public Library several years ago when the children’s librarian weeded it out of the collection. I read it maybe once a year. I think this year I may read it aloud to Liz.

3. One book you would want on a desert island.

   Oh, there are just too many, but if I really had to pick, it would have to be a set of Harry Potter books.

4. One book that made you laugh.

   Easy peasy lemon squeezy – The Best Christmas Pageant Ever by Barbara Robinson. Pretty much a perfect book.

5. One book that made you cry.

   Any one of a hundred…I cry easily. So let’s say Shiloh by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor and Because of Winn Dixie by Kate DiCamillo.

6. One book you wish had been written.

   Can’t think of one.

7. One book you wish had never been written.

   Pretty much any book by a celebrity, with the possible exception of the books by Jamie Lee Curtis. At the top of this list — The English Roses by Madonna and Amy the Dancing Bear by Carly Simon. The words pretentious and delusional come to mind…

8. One book you are currently reading.

   Kiki Strike by Kirsten Miller. I *so* want to see this as a movie! And a fabulous picture book, Blackbeard and the Birthday Suit by Matthew McElligott. Thanks to Pat Connor for sending me this hilarious book with the amazing illustrations.

9. One book you have been meaning to read.

   Chicken Boy by Frances O’Roark Dowell. Anne highly recommends this one.

10. Now tag five people.

    I’m tagging everyone who reads this!

Book of the Dead by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child – the latest entry in the Pendergast series and every bit as tightly plotted and exciting as the others. FBI agent A.X.L. Pendergast and his evil younger brother, Diogenes, are at it again, with A. in federal prison awaiting trial on murder charges and D. loose in the Museum of Natural History in NYC. As A. languishes in prison, D. goes forward with a diabolical plot to destroy all of his enemies and a goodly number of the general population as well. Curator Nora Kelly is assigned the monumental task of re-opening the Tomb of Senef, a museum exhibit that was mysteriously closed and bricked up in the 1930’s. Little does she know, she has become a pawn in Diogenes’ deadly pursuit of what he sees as justice for a wrong done him when he was a child. Preston & Child are masters at twisty-turny plots that pull the reader in one direction after another, but which are so finely crafted that you never lose your way. One thing I have always liked about the Preston-Child collaboration is that they keep their characters to a bare minimum, which allows the reader to keep track of the complicated plot without having to remember a million characters and what they do. Highly recommended for those readers who like action and a kick-ass mystery.

Ghost Orchid by Carol Goodman – I thoroughly enjoyed Goodman’s earlier work, Lake of Dead Languages, so picked this one up when I happened upon it in the library a few weeks ago. It seemed to have all the elements I like in a story, so I gave it a shot. Sorry I did. I knew immediately I wasn’t going to like this book because Goodman resorts to a literary convention I really, truly don’t like — alternating chapters between the present time and an earlier time. I find that incredibly disconcerting and find myself reading all the chapters about one time, then reading all the chapters about the earlier time. Weird, I know. Anyway, just in case any of you don’t mind the alternating space-time thing, here’s a brief synopsis from Publisher’s Weekly:

• An isolated Victorian mansion in upstate New York is the backdrop for Goodman’s latest literary mystery, which stars a debut novelist and her fellow residents at the artists’ retreat Bosco. Ellis Brooks has been accepted to Bosco primarily because her first novel is to be a fictional account of the mansion’s mysterious past; while there will be no deaths during her stay, there’s spookiness aplenty, as well as several 1893 murders still begging resolution. Goodman’s narrative alternates between Ellis’s first-person present and 1893. Coincidentally-or not-two of Bosco’s other guests are also working on projects related to the mansion. But they turn out to be little more than convenient accessories as Ellis, the daughter of a psychic (and possessor of certain powers of her own), unlocks clue after mystical clue to secrets long buried by the mansion’s original owners. As great a player as any is the mansion itself and its creepy (and possibly haunted) gardens. Is this an updated Victorian drawing room mystery or a romance novel/crime fiction-cum-ghost story? Never mind. Enjoy the atmosphere. And enjoy the ride; its twists and turns mesmerize, even if they don’t surprise.

The Old Willis Place: a Ghost Story by Mary Downing Hahn – It’s been awhile since I read Hahn’s earlier ghost story, Wait Till Helen Comes, but that story made such a shivery impression on me that I had to read this new one when it came across my desk the other day. And I wasn’t disappointed. Hahn has woven another brilliantly frightening story, this time revolving around Diana and Georgie, two siblings who live like wild children in the woods behind the crumbling old Willis mansion, and who are hemmed in by certain rules and boundaries around the place, all dating back to when “the bad thing” happened. We meet Diana and Georgie as they hide in the bushes, awaiting the arrival of the new caretaker and his daughter, who Diana immediatley wants as friend. As the story moves on, we learn more about Diana and Georgie and their relationship with Lilian Willis, the old lady who died in the mansion, but whose spirit is said to haunt the place. As Diana and Lissa, the caretaker’s daughter, become friends, Diana lets Lissa in on a terrible secret involving a locked storeroom in the basement of the Willis place. The secret is uncovered and bodies are removed from the house, which sets in motion a final confrontation between Diana & Georgie and Lilian.

Although I figured out pretty quickly that Diana and Georgie were ghosts, I was still compelled to continue reading until I learned the truth about “the bad thing.” One thing I’ve always liked about Hahn’s work is the theme of forgiveness that runs through them. That theme appears here again, as Miss Lilian explains her actions to the children and Diana forgives her. Plenty of shivers up the spine, but also a suitably redemptive ending. I read this one in a few hours and passed it on to Liz. She’s been reading it all day.

Well, I did it again. Spent the whole weekend reading. Of course, it didn’t hurt that we were at Black Lake in a cottage with no phone, limited TV, and no computer. Or that it rained…and rained…and rained some more. Here’s my haul…

The Valley of Secrets by Charmian Hussey – I wasn’t sure about this one because the blurb on the back didn’t say much about the story other than that it involved an orphaned boy who suddenly finds out that he’s the only beneficiary in a never-before-seen great-uncle’s will. But it takes place in Cornwall, which is, as any folklore lover knows, one of the most mysterious places on earth. We first meet Stephen Lansbury as he’s just finished a course in botany and is fretting over whether to return to the children’s home where he grew up or set off on his own. An elegant letter from Postlethwaite and Postlethwaite arrives, which brings Stephen to an odd interview with an ancient lawyer nestled comfortably in an office overrun by a jungle of plants. Bertie Postlethwaite informs Stephen that his great-uncle Theodore Lansbury has left him an estate in Cornwall, and Stephen should be getting on there right away to “take care of things.”

With a train ticket and 100 pounds from Mr. Postlethwaite in his pocket, Stephen heads to the wilds of Cornwall. There he finds gates that mysteriously open, overgrown grounds, and an empty but spotless manor house. As he explores, Stephen begins to notice things. Like the strange “woomp, woomp” calls in the forest, the fact that the house has no electricity, that some of the rooms have thick layers of dust all over everything while others are spotless, the odd hammocks hung in the library and in a room upstairs, and the creepy feeling that he’s being watched. Eventually, Stephen finds his great-uncle’s journals and becomes privy to a grand adventure had by his uncle and his friend B. As the days and weeks pass, Stephen comes to realize that his uncle brought part of his adventure home with him, a revelation that solidifies when Stephen finds an injured animal of a type he’s never seen before. He nurses the animal back to health, and is eventually led by the animal to find the greatest secret of all.

I confess that I am a sucker for stories that involve mysterious houses, unexpected inheritances and great secrets, so this book captivated me immediately. As I read, I felt like I was gently being led down a path and at the end I would find a fabulous gift. And that’s just what I found at the end of this story. The events unfolded at exactly the right pace, and the characters were all wonderfully drawn. The only thing I didn’t appreciate was the author’s occasional tendency to preach about the destruction of the rainforest. Although the topic was certainly pertinent to the story, the facts were presented awkwardly and didn’t really fit into the narration. All in all, though, this was a lovely, gentle story…give it a try.

Gothic: Ten Original Dark Tales – I always take a book of short stories with me on vacation, and this new one just jumped out at me when I was picking out books last week. Some of my favorite authors like Joan Aiken, Neil Gaiman, Garth Nix and Vivian Vande Velde writing my favorite genre of story? Oh yes, this was coming with me. But, as often happens with short story collections, this one is mixed at best. There are a few great stories — particularly Lungewater by Aiken, Morgan Roehmar’s Boys by Vande Velde, and The Prank by Gregory Maguire — but most of the entries in this collection are not fully developed and don’t stand on their own as short stories. The Stone Tower by Janni Lee Simner for instance, would be much better in a longer form. The same is true for Gaimin’s story, Forbidden Brides of the Faceless Slaves in the Nameless House of the Night of Dread Desire, which was scary as far as it went…but it should have gone further. If I had to pick the best story, meaning the one that totally gave me the creeps, it would have to be Morgan Roehmar’s Boys by Vande Velde. The end of that story totally shocked me and made me put the book away for a little while and go out in the sunshine…what little we had on Saturday, that is! This is an okay collection. Nothing great, nothing horrible, but all pretty readable.

Here Lies the Librarian by Richard Peck – I’ve been reading Peck since the Blossom Culp days and he always delivers a good story. A Year Down Yonder made me laugh out loud, and so did this one. Of course, you know I picked it up because of the title. After all, how could I resist a book that takes place in a town that had a librarian named Electra Dietz? Although libraries and library science students play a big part in the story, it really all belongs to Eleanor “PeeWee” McGrath, who operates a garage with her big brother Jake. It’s the early 20th century and automobiles are just becoming an accepted form of transportation, and women are driving as often as men. Four refined but forward-thinking women arrive one day in a lovely Stoddard-Dayton automobile and promptly have a flat in front of PeeWee’s garage. Although she fixes the flat, PeeWee has no idea that these women will turn her world upside down. The story is typical Peck — lots of laughs, goofy characters, and wonderful language. I was particularly taken with this exchange between Irene Ridpath, the forward-thinking library science student, and PeeWee:

• “Grace, Lodelia, and Geraldine? They’ll soon be reporting for duty [in the library]. Presently, they are floating on Lake Maxinkuckee in canoes with beaus.”

  “Beaus? What are they?”

  “Suitors. Gentlemen callers. Fraternity men with ukuleles.”

  “Oh.” I strove to picture this. “Are they spooning?”

  “Or reading aloud,” Irene said.

If you like Peck, you love this story. He’s beginning to remind me of Norman Rockwell — instead of painting those goofy slices of early American life, Peck writes them.

Sorcerors and Secretaries by Amy Kim Ganter – Cute but not terribly original graphic novel.

The What Kids Do post got me thinking about all the stories and movies my kids read and watched over and over gain. That and the fact that I’ve been sifting through my book collection, trying to weed it out so I have room for more books. I came across some old favorites and realized that some of the oldies but goodies had disappeared. Probably too much love. Anyway, here are the lists of books and movies Scott and Liz L-O-V-E loved.

The Must-Reads of Sir Scott and Queen Elizabeth

• A to Z Animal Band (Play a Sound series) – one of those Sam’s Club buys that totally captivated him from the time he was 1 to about 3 or 4. I so clearly remember sitting on his bed reading this to him when I was hugely pregnant with Liz. He’d get mad because he’d put his head on my belly and she’d kick him. He and I would take turns making the sounds. It was pretty hilarious at the time.
• Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin – this is the quintessential picture book — wonderful colors and shapes, and a catchy little refrain that Scott still repeats sometimes.
• One Hungry Monster by Susan O’Keefe and one of my favorite illustrators, Lynn Munsinger. Both kids loved this one and so did I. I’ve used it in storytime on many an occasion, and the illustration of the monsters with peanut butter painted on their mouths is priceless. Liz dug out our old copy and used it this year when she read to the 1st graders at school.
• Sailor Pig (a Furry Face Board Book) – Liz especially liked this one, although Sailor Pig’s snout was pretty smushed by the time she got him.
• Whatever You Do, Don’t Get a Gink by Dr. Seuss, but really Louise Gikow – Every now and then, Scott will say “hey Mom! Whatever you do….” and I respond “Don’t get a gink!” and we both just totally crack up.
• More, More More Said the Baby by Vera Williams – Scott absolutely loved this book. He’d have me read it over and over again, and each time we’d act it out and he would laugh uproariously. What made this book extra special was that it was given to me by Ann Gibson and she had it signed by Vera Williams.
• Hi Pizza Man! by Virginia Walter – Both kids loved the repetition of this story and we spent hours thinking of other people and creatures we’d like to have deliver our pizza. Even today, whenever we order pizza, one or the other of the kids will invariably holler out “Hi Pizza Man!” when the doorbell rings.
• Uncle Wiggily’s Storybook by Howard Roger Garis – I’ve never been able to figure out the affection Liz had for this book. The stories are so dated and not very interesting, but she asked for Miss Jane Fuzzy Wuzzy and Squirrel time and again.

There are more, but this post is a-gettin’ long so I’ll cut it short for now. I’ve been surprised at the number of books that are counted among our favorites. Part two will come soon….

I couldn’t help it. I saw this book on Anne’s desk last night and I had to pick it up. Mary Engelbreit holds the same weird fascination for me as Martha Stewart, and her involvement in this book is total and complete. It’s a simple little book featuring Mary’s illustrations and short, sweet and sometimes trite sentences to describe what kids do. Of course, the illustrations are the key, not the simple text. And maybe that’s why there’s no author listed. I can totally imagine Mary’s promotions team sitting around a table looking at leftover illustrations from one of her other wildly popular publications and saying, “You know, we really must do something with these darling illustrations. How about a book of cute little sayings about kids? And we can sell it for 10 BUCKS!”

Some of the things kids do in Mary’s world?

• Like reading a favorite book over and over again.
• Seldom clean their rooms.
• Give the best hugs.
• Watch the same movies over and over again.
• Show off.
• Spoil their dinner.

Some of the things kids do in *my* world?

• Spray their brother’s deodorant on to the bathroom mirror at close range and ruin the finish on the mirror.
• Chew an entire pack of Bubblicious bubble gum…all at once.
• Maintain hidden stashes of candy throughout the house, thereby attracting every damn ant within a hundred miles.
• Wear the same pair of socks for a week because the others in the dresser suddenly became invisible.
• Enjoy spraying me with the hose every chance they get.

I can only dream of the perfection of life in a Mary or Martha world, but I can’t help but suspect that life would be awfully boring. I’ll take wet-hugs-right-out-of-the-bath and ice-cubes-down-my-back any day.

I don’t have a lot of time right now to blog about every book I read last weekend, so I will settle for just listing the titles. Let me just say, it was a fabulous weekend of reading! I hope Motherreader is happy!

• My Life in France by Julia Child with Alex Prudhomme – I love Julia even more after reading about her life in France. Boy, those snooty chefs at the Sorbonne must have *hated* her!
• The Penderwicks by Jeanne Birdsall – Can anyone say “Bobbsey Twins?”
• Men of Bronze by Scott Oden – an odd combination of war and sex in ancient Persia & Egypt.
• A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray – Good but not great, bad, but not terrible.
• When the Missisissippi Ran Backwards by Jay Feldman – interesting, and scary, history of the New Madrid fault and the great earthquake that changed the course of a war and a country.
• Flavor of the Month: Why Smart People Fall for Fads – excellent treatment of how fads can affect our lives when they’re adopted by the medical, educating and business communities. TQM, the bane of my existence at library meetings during the span of 1998-about 2002 or 2003, is totally skewered.
• Food Court Druids, Cherohonkees, and Other Creatures Unique to the Republic by Robert Lanham – totally hilarious. I think I have a touch of “Happy Monday” in me.

I really wanted to read more YA books, but I never made it to the library last week to get some. I was on vacation, for those of you wondering how I couldn’t make it to the library when I work in one!

The City of Falling Angels by John Berendt is plain and simple the most oddly compelling book I’ve read in ages. It’s cataloged as fiction, but it reads like a gossipy biography or memoir, and yowsa is it good.

You may remember Berendt as the author of Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, which put Savannah, Georgia on the map for millions of readers. His treatment of the off-beat, eccentric elegance that is Savannah made for a good read, but his similar treatment of Venice, Italy makes for a great one. Berendt use the destruction by fire of the Fenice Opera House in Venice as the hub in the wheel of all these strange and lovely stories about the people who inhabit this most unlikely of cities. When I started the story, I wondered how Berendt was going to deliver on the promise written on the flyleaf and become a detective investigating the fire. As I read, it became clear that the fire was the vehicle Berendt used to insinuate himself into the daily life of Venetians. His reporting put him in contact with a colorful array of personalities, including

• Ludivico deLuigi, a renegade artist who is ultimately disappointed when the carabinieri don’t arrest him for defacing a public painting.
• Friends of the American Peggy Guggenheim, who describe to Berendt how she re-enacted the sinking of the Titanic, during which her father died, by walking naked into the Grand Canal along with a full orchestra.
• Archimedes Seguso and his dysfunctional family of glassmakers – Archimedes, a master glassblower who, in the days after the Fenice fire, spent all his waking time creating representations of the fire in glass; and his son, who split from the family business, started his own glassworks, and attempted to copyright his father’s name.
• Jane and Philip Rylands, who made their fortune and achieved their position in society by hornswoggling rich old ladies like Peggy Guggenheim and Olga Rudge, the longtime lover of American poet Ezra Pound.
• and so many others I can’t recount them all…

Reading this book was an oddly uplifting experience. I felt a little guilty reading all about the various sins and personal quirks attributed to all these people, but at the same time I began to feel as though I knew these people and I cared about what happened to them. I also learned a little bit of Italian, which is just a two-for-one kind of bonus. Definitely a book worth your time.