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Monthly Archives: April 2011

From My Library…

14 Apr

What I loved about the lively world of a Book store, was the feeling each day to see what brilliant minds had written. Like a birthday… opening a new book felt like a gift. I am quite opinionated and you will learn more about that later. (But books I recommend looking up are worth buying in hard cover.) Here are some books from my library……

Opening TOO LOUD A SOLITUDE a novel by Bohumil Hrabal changed my life….. “Because when I read, I don’t really read; I pop a beautiful sentence into my mouth and suck it like a fruit drop, or sip it like a liqueur until the thought dissolves in me like alcohol, infusing brain and heart and coursing on through the veins the root of each blood vessel.”  Totally FAB!   Buy It!

So………..

FAB FAVES for Adults:

  • FORESKIN’S LAMENT a memoir by Shalom Auslander
  • THE BOOK OF LOST THINGS by  John Connolly

FAB FAVES for kids:

  • THE BEEJUM BOOK by Alice O. Howell
  • THE PALACE OF LAUGHTER The Wednesday Tales No.1 by Jon Berkeley

That’s all for tonight.

HARDBOUNDandGAGGED

(The former bookseller known as Colby)

 
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Posted by on April 14, 2011 in Must Read, Recommendations

 

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Old Mother West Wind by Thornton W. Burgess

11 Apr

Old Mother West Wind“Old Mother West Wind came down from the Purple Hills in the golden light of the early morning. Over her shoulders was slung a bag – a great big bag – and in the bag were all of Old Mother West Wind’s children, the Merry Little Breezes.”……” When she reached the Green Meadows, Old Mother West Wind opened her bag, turned it upside down and shook it. Out tumbled all the Merry Little Breezes and began to spin round and round….”  The Merry Little Breezes explore the forest one story at a time. Mr. Burgess collected 16 tales in this volume, the first of over seventy books.Through nature we learn how to behave and why rules are important. Qualities of loyalty, friendship, trust, hard work and the consequences of misbehavior are all lessons we hope to instill in our children, as well as hold in our subconscious forever.

My favorite story is “The Tale of Tommy Trout, who Didn’t Mind”. Tommy Trout is warned not to venture out of the Laughing Brook, but his curiosity leads him beyond safety and into the mouth of a great big, big fish. “Ah-ha”…”I like little trouts.”……”And nothing more was ever heard of Tommy Trout, who didn’t mind.”  The End. Although grim, it is powerful in its blunt simplicity.

I recommend this be Read To Children ages 3-7 years by an adult, in order to able to discuss the stories meanings.

HARD BOUND AND GAGGED…..

 
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Posted by on April 11, 2011 in Book Reviews, Children's

 

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Something Borrowed – Emily Giffin

05 Apr

Something Borrowed by Emily GiffinOn the night of her 30th birthday, Rachel allows herself to sleep with the man she has desired all throughout law school. And it was great. Dexter Thatcher is great, the sex was great, and she feels great. That is until she wakes the following morning with a slight hangover and her absolute best friend’s fiancé in her bed. That’s right, folks. Dex is none other than Darcy’s long time boyfriend and recent fiancé. In fact, Rachel was the one who introduced the two. Bitch, right?

Quickly Dex comes up with a cover for both of them and they part ways, each feeling guilty. But only slightly. Thereafter, the story unfolds like you’d expect it to. Rachel and Dex sneak around to see each other and manage to hide it from all, save a select few non-judgmental and almost encouraging friends. All the while, though, Rachel – who prides herself on being on the straight and narrow her whole life- questions her actions, her friendship with Darcy, modern feminist arguments of being complete without a man, whether what she is doing is all that wrong, and if Dex really is “the One” or if she is fooling herself or he’s fooling her. Bitch, right?

Well, wrong. At least the way Emily Giffin tells it.

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Posted by on April 5, 2011 in Book Reviews, Fiction / Literature

 

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The Beauty in Every Inch

04 Apr
The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating

The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating

The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating

by Elisabeth Tova Bailey

Most of us are too busy to spend a year watching a snail go about its business.  We might equate such activities with watching the grass grow or paint dry.  How fascinating could the daily exploits of a gastropod possibly be, after all?

Elisabeth Tova Bailey, however, found herself with little else to do.  Bedridden due to a mysterious autonomic ailment, Bailey found herself unable to even sit up or turn over without a major effort.  A friend visited her one day, bringing a pot of field violets from the nearby woods – and, as a bonus, a woodland snail.

With literally nothing else to do or watch, Bailey began to notice the habits of her new companion.  From its eating and sleeping habits to its methods of locomotion, her observations began to open a window into her tiny companion’s world.

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Posted by on April 4, 2011 in Book Reviews, Memoir / Biography, Science / Technology

 

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