Mini-Break

I'm off to Blacksburg, Virginia this weekend! I've never been there before - I'm expecting a quiet town, quaint shops, and farmers' markets. Am I destined for disappointment? Maybe it's too close to the end of the school year and I'm going to get a college town with rivers of jungle juice flowing?

I'll be visiting the Soul Twin. You remember our trip to Florida, right?


But I'm a working girl so, naturally, I'm bringing a half-ton of books with me. Here's the stack:


The Bright Young Things you see is a sampler of Anna Godbersen's new series* (my love of The Luxe is well-documented here, here, and here). Naturally, this isn't for me (I read it already) - I'm bringing this one for the Soul Twin. I got her hooked on Anna Godbersen's stuff ages ago and now I'm her pusher.

All the other kids' books? That's my reading for work. When you all stop by our booth at ALA Annual and ask me what's good I need to have read the books, right? So this is all for you.

I bought A Time for Gifts after reading "Frugal Europe, on Foot" in the New York Times. I'm about halfway through and I just adore it. The writing is lyrical but not overwrought - he doesn't try too hard. It also has that wonderful aspect where Fermor clearly wrote the book post-trip, bringing all those memories back to the surface, so that the characters and details are a little fuzzy. He may not remember their names or faces but, ah, he remembers how he felt when he was with them.

Naturally, it has lots of food in it. And there's a huge focus on the idea of food as community - it brings Fermor and strangers together as only communal dining can. I loved this:

Beer, carraway seed, beeswax, coffee, pine-logs and melting snow combined with the smoke of thick, short cigars in a benign aroma across which ever so often the ghost of sauerkraut would float.

I know, I know. You're probably thinking, "'The ghost of sauerkraut'? What the hell?" But just stop and think about it...isn't that a gorgeous way to describe the acidic tang that interrupts all those warm, smoky scents? I just thought it was a beautiful passage.

Off I go! See you next week!

Eat, drink, and savor great writing.


* Read The Compulsive Reader's discussion on the cover.

Thanksgiving-by-the-Sea

Being a food enthusiast, you'd think that Thanksgiving would be a huge holiday for me...but it's not so much. I don't like turkey...and when people suggest that I substitute duck, I don't see the point when I can eat that any day of the week. Likewise with a vegetarian Thanksgiving.

So instead I saw Thanksgiving this year as an opportunity to escape to Seaside, Florida for five days with the Soul Twin. I was just coming home from NCTE and thought there probably wouldn't be a better way to relax than sitting on a beach in Florida. Observe:

This was Sundog Books, one of the best indie bookstores I've been to. The classics section seemed to be in no discernible order ...but then a saleswoman approached me and asked if I needed help. I told her I was looking for Persuasion. It took her all of a nanosecond to find a copy and hand it over to me (with a smile). Incredibly nice people and a great selection.

So this was bought as a joke. It's Francis Ford Coppola's mini Sofia line and, why yes, that's a straw you see there on the side. Like an alcoholic Capri Sun. The taste? Well, it's what you would expect. But when you're sipping while shopping through an open air market, who cares?

Okay, so maybe oysters aren't your thing...but what if they were slurped while taking in the view below...

Can you think of a better way to enjoy the fruits of the ocean?!?! An entire bottle of wine was consumed while taking in this incredible view.


A feast on our balcony. What else do you need other than bread and cheese? Oh, and wine.

Yes, this was on the balcony. Check out the pool below. Word up.

And for your viewing pleasure, one of the most un-PC things I've seen to date. Cowboys and Indians?! Really?! I didn't know anyone still encouraged this sort of play...

An unbelievable trip. In addition to the photographic joy above, we also:

• ate many many loaves of bread from Wild Olives - one of the best baguettes I have tried ever.


• rented bikes from Butterfly Bike and Kayak, and we rode more than six miles everyday (well, yeah, after all that bread, cheese, and wine!).


• drank coffee every morning at Amavida; I'm not a pastry person but Amavida had some of the best morning pastries I have ever indulged in.

It being a vacation and all, lots of books were read. Soul Twin read Dan Brown's The Lost Symbol and moved on to Anna Godbersen's Splendor (courtesy of me...I swear, I'll push that series on anyone showing even the slightest sign of weakness!). I read a galley of Wicked Girls by Stephanie Hemphill (Salem witch trials in verse, tentatively scheduled for a June 2010 release), Educating Peter: How Anyone Can Become an (Almost) Instant Wine Expert by Lettie Teague, and Let It Snow by John Green, Maureen Johnson, and Lauren Myracle.

Eat, drink, and celebrate at the beach!

Note: All photos taken with my cell phone camera. For that, I am deeply sorry.

Book mojo!

Don't you love those times - I know you've had them too - when every book you read just seems to be awesome? You seem to go through your books so much faster because none of them drags, none of them sucks? I'm going through one of those periods right now. And I'm wearily excited because, inevitably, I know it will end. Eventually, I'll pick up a stinker.

For now, though, I'm enjoying the ride.



Here are the Harper books I have loved (and I'm soooo sorry about the pub dates!):

• The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place by Maryrose Wood (2.10)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver (3.10) - I was not prepared for how compelling this would be. I'm still thinking about it days after I finished it.
  

• Splendor (final book in The Luxe series) by Anna Godbersen (10.09)

Here are the non-Harper books I have equally loved:

• Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins (Scholastic) - Finally read it! And it was so worth the wait. Incredible, incredible stuff.
  
  
  
  
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• Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins (9.09, Scholastic) - Equally as incredible
  
  
  
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• Liar by Justine Larbalestier (9.09, Bloomsbury) - The jacket controversy seems to have overshadowed the fact that this is a well-crafted, fascinating suspense thriller. Read it.
  
  
  
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• The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate by Jacqueline Kelly (Holt) - How can this NOT have something shiny on it come January?
  
  
• Dunderheads by Paul Fleischman, illustrated by David Roberts (Candlewick)

Great summer for reading! Now, all I need to do is get my hands on Dani Noir by Nova Ren Suma (per Molly's recommendation) and Winter's End by Jean-Claude Mourlevat, translated by Anthea Bell (per Chris Shoemaker's recommendation) and my August will ROCK!

Is it November yet?

I just spotted the cover art for Splendor:

Now the waiting and pining begins...

Sometimes it's fun to come back from vacation...

I need to forewarn you that I'll be blogging little this week - I'm working all week, my mother-in-law is in town, and I'm cooking and eating a lot.

I do want to share a couple of book-ish things that greeted me at my desk this morning. First, I was ecstatic to have a galley of Almost Astronauts waiting for me. I'm ultra-excited about this one!

Second, I had a galley of this book waiting for me:

And that cover scares the sheez-it out of me. Make it go away! Which is probably the vibe the designer was going for...and they succeeded.

Lastly, I found out that the new Georgia Nicolson book is coming out June 2009!!!! Blimey O'Reilly! At this point, HarperCollins isn't giving up a name, only "Georgia Nicolson 10" and this is the only cover art I've seen:

Between this and The Luxe*, HarperCollins is showing little regard for how impatient I can be! Oh, the long wait begins...

* ONLY FOUR MORE WEEKS!

Favorite Covers of 2008: Rumors

You didn't expect me to go entirely lee-ter-ah-ture on you, did you?

Rumors by Anna Godbersen (HarperCollins)

I have costuming friends (you know who are you...Lori, Laura, and Gillian) who rag on these covers for not being appropriate for the period, blah, blah, blah.  But when I get 'em in a corner they'll agree with me: they're visually stunning.  My job dropped when I saw this, as it did when I saw the first one.

Now I have to wait just over ONE MONTH until Envy comes out!  Maybe they'll have galleys at ALA Midwinter...hoping, hoping, hoping...  

My Addictions: Food-related books and the Luxe series

Kirkus has published a review for yet another foodie book for kids: Bring Me Some Apples and I’ll Make You a Pie by Robbin Gourley (Clarion, 2009). I look forward to any book where the reviewer says: “A mouthwatering morsel that should come with the warning to eat before reading.” Between this book and Kitchen Dance, it looks like Clarion is on the foodie bandwagon. So now I need to figure out why Clarion is one of the few publishers who don’t send me review copies. Dammit! I keep pimping these books and I haven’t seen them yet!*

In other children’s literature news, I am officially the last librarian in this country who has not read The Underneath by Kathi Appelt. You hadn’t heard that news? Well, I am. Which means I’ll probably feel like a real arse tonight if it wins the National Book Award. Why couldn’t Suite Scarlett by Maureen Johnson have been nominated? Or Rumors by Anna Godbersen? The fluff I read never gets awards, alas.

Speaking of Rumors, when-oh-when will I get my itching hands on a copy of Envy, Godbersen’s upcoming entry in the Luxe series? Elizabeth must triumph over that evil Penelope…

And now I have done a fine job of illustrating why I never seem to find (or make) time for the lovely award winners.

* Actually, I see that Amazon now has the "Look Inside" feature available for Kitchen Dance, which wasn't there when I previously posted about the book.

What alcoholic beverage pairs best with your favorite children's book?

Examiner.com came out with a few fantastically awesome (and spot-on) lists of books to read with alcohol: beer, wine, and hard liquor.  I went through an embarrassing Victoria Holt stage in high school so I got a particular laugh out of the recommendation to read her with a glass of white wine.  I also snickered over the recommended pairing of Budweiser/Miller with America (The Book) by Jon Stewart - it's the perfect antidote to my overdose on election coverage.

So what about children's literature?  And young adult?  Am I the only one that does imbibe (sometimes) while reading?  What are some pairings you would choose?  I mean, obviously, you have to pair a raspberry cordial with Anne of Green Gables - that's a no-brainer.  Any others?  Here's a short list off the top of my head:

Beer:

- Sammy Keyes series by Wendelin Van Draanen (is it just me or is she Stephanie Plum in training?)

- Knucklehead: Tall Tales and Almost True Stories of Growing Up Scieszka by Jon Scieszka (totally!)

- Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan (probably something cheap and domestic...they are in high school, after all)

Wine:

- Sweet Valley High and Sarah Dessen's books are white wine books (I mean NO disrespect to Sarah Dessen by pairing these together!!!!  If it helps at all, SVH is a white zin and The Truth About Forever is a complicated, rich Viognier)

- Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants series by Ann Brashares (totally white wine fare)

- My One Hundred Adventures by Polly Horvath and Miss Spitfire by Sarah Miller (these are Pinot Noir books - warm, cozy, lovely, complex but not weighed down)

- The Giver by Lois Lowry is a Zinfandel - Before I Die by Jenny Downham is a Zin too.

- The Luxe series by Anna Godbersen is soooooo champagne perfect!

Hard Liquor/Cocktails:

- Louise Rennison's Georgia Nicholson series is the perfect thing to read with a Cosmopolitan, anything pastel-colored, anything with -tini at the end of it.

- Whiskey neat: I think if Kiki Strike were to be an adult and a drinker, she'd go for a no-nonsense, tough-as-nails whiskey neat.  10 Cents a Dance by Christine Fletcher is a whiskey neat too, given the speak-easy nature of the setting.

- Harry Potter is challenging, but I would have to choose the pumpkintini I've been dreaming about for two years...you know, they drink all that pumpkin juice...get it???

- Lastly, I don't know if I'm getting the time period right here but doesn't it seem like you should drink mead with Good Masters!  Sweet Ladies! by Laura Amy Schlitz?

Eat, drink, and read children's books while doing so.

The One Where I Can't Think of a Clever Title for Children's Literature News

I've been home with a sick kid all day - this winter has been so brutal! - and I had all kinds of lovely intentions to put up several posts. Then I had to do some work because I had a deadline today. And then I started reading (and finished) Rumors, the sequel to The Luxe, by Anna Godbersen (*whispers aside* - it was deliciously wicked and indulgent, just as good as the first). Then I had to watch Hairspray with the coughing kid. Then I had to have lunch. Now it's 4:00 and I've posted nothing. Siiiiigh.

I have had the chance today to collect all kinds of information, though. First, Matt Holm, of the famed Babymouse series, has a fantastic blog post up about a French comics creator, Cyril Pedrosa, who is apparently declaring that there is no such thing as a graphic novel. Naturally, all of us librarians, know this is a ridiculous assertion. Matt does, too. Go check out his great response.

Apparently there's a new children's book coming out: My Beautiful Mommy by Dr. Michael Salzhauer. It's written by a Floridian plastic surgeon and it's a way to help explain to kids why mommy is getting plastic surgery. According to this article, the plastic surgeon (named Dr. Michael, of course) is portrayed as a superhero, making mommy "feel better" and be "beautiful." You know, it would be soooooo easy to rip this book apart. It's so tempting. But I'd like to play devil's advocate here and say that this could be a useful tool for parents. As a mother myself who has toyed with the idea of a tummy tuck, one of the biggest challenges in my mind has been how to explain to my daughter why I'm doing what I'm doing. Granted, I wouldn't buy this book to do it. But, still... Far be it from me to deny it to another parent who needs a little help. All those issues aside and on a more professional level, the cover illustrations look like classic amateur self-published quality (read: bad). I'm just sayin'.... (Thanks to Big A little a for the link)

And oh my god, I had no idea that Jim Dale, the narrator for the Harry Potter audiobooks, was the Dr. Terminus in Pete's Dragon!!! Did you?!?! Thanks to Sarah Miller for providing my shocker for the day: no, darling, you're not the last to know - I am!

I won't dedicate a whole post for it, but I finished reading the galley A La Carte by Tanita S. Davis; I received it in galley form at a Random House preview. If you'll remember from this post, I was very excited to see my love of food and children's/YA lit combined together. Unfortunately, there's bad news ahead: I didn't enjoy this book at all. Now, as a YA book, I suppose it was fine. It had all the requisite teen literature stuff: angst, romance, conflict, crushes, struggles with parents - you know the drill. But as food writing, it didn't work at all. When you read food writing, you need to be salivating. You need to have immediate desire for food because the writing has inspired it in you. You need to have all your senses engaged because the writing has brought it alive for you. A La Carte did not do any of that...at all...for me. But for teens that aren't budding foodies, then this book will suffice. I only fear that teens who are budding foodies will read this as an example of good food writing when they really need to be picking up Ruth Reichl.

Okay, one blog post down. Hopefully I can crank out one more - something food-related, of course, before the kid starts coughing again!