Christmas Book

Christmas Memories by Susan Waggoner

Christmas Memories by Susan Waggoner is full of fun vintage holiday pictures.

The Little Big Book of Christmas

I love to pull this book out every holiday season. It contains some of my favorite Christmas stories.

Going Home - Finding Peace When Pets Die by Jon Katz

Dale and I had our beloved dog, Sophie, euthanized about 5 months ago. It was a painful experience despite having mourned the loss of many other pets in my life. Although this book didn't shed new light for me on anything in regard to the pain of losing a pet, Going Home by Jon Katz was extremely comforting and helped with my healing. I read The New Work of Dogs, also by Jon Katz, a few years ago and found the author to be extremely knowledgeable and sensitive about the the deep connection that exists between humans and their pets.

Elizabeth

Mad Men Unbuttoned

Natasha Vargas-Cooper, author of Mad Men Unbuttoned, uses the essays in her book, some written by her and some by others, as something of a gateway into the real world cultural and historic events of the 1960s. The book is less a companion piece to the television show Mad Men as it is a companion piece to the era. The book is divided into nine sections including: The Ads and the Men Who Made Them which looks at the real life ad men of the 60s and what they did to change advertising; Style which covers everything from the skinny tie to hemlines; Literature which looks at the influence of books like Lady Chatterley's Lover and Atlas Shrugged on the decade; and, of course, Sex which covers the pill to homosexuality and everything in between. My friend Noel gave me the book for my birthday. When I first started reading it I realized I had to put it aside until I finished watching the 3rd season of the show on DVD. My only disappointment in the book was that it did not offer spoiler alerts up through that season. I found out something from the book I would have rather gotten from watching the show.

Dick and Jane - Fun With Our Family

This is a reprint of one of the Dick and Jane readers that were used to teach reading in 1950s and 60s America. The books featured stories with simple vocabulary words and charming illustrations and were published by Scott Foresman and Company. Fun with Our Family has a copyright date of 1965 which is one year before I was born. I did not grow up learning to read with Dick and Jane but because they are pure Americana I knew of the stories and their format. The stories are rather flat but, being a first grade teacher of reading, I know that part of learning to read by oneself means having to learn and read basic sight words. If these stories have any charm at all it comes from remembering learning to read with simple books. It's a rite of passage.

Finding Betty Crocker

Finding Betty Crocker is fascinating not only because of the biography of its fictional subject but also because of the history of 20th century Minneapolis it presents. According to the book's jacket, "In 1945, Fortune Magazine named Betty Crocker the second most popular American woman, right behind Eleanor Roosevelt, and dubbed Betty America's First Lady of Food. Not bad for a gal who never actually existed." I don't think I realized Betty Crocker hadn't been a real person until I was about 30 years old.

True Compass

This is an incredible account not only of Kennedy's life but also of American history and politics. Kennedy reflects on events in his life including his family's time in Europe just prior to U.S. involvement in World War 2, his lost family members and how they impacted him, and his endorsement of Barack Obama for president. As a child, Kennedy's father said to him, "You can have a serious life or a nonserious life." What really struck me was his gratitude for the privilege he had and for what it allowed him to do for his country.

The United States of Arugula

The United States of Arugula, written by David Kamp is about the rise of the foodie culture in the U.S.

The following is from the book jacket and does a great job of summing up the book:

"The wickedly entertaining, hunger-inducing, behind-the-scenes story of the revolution in American food that has made exotic ingredients, celebrity chefs, rarefied cooking tools, and destination restaurants familiar aspects of our everyday lives. Amazingly enough, just twenty years ago eating sushi was a daring novelty and many Americans had never even heard of salsa. Today, we don't bat an eye at a construction worker dipping a croissant into robust specialty coffee, city dwellers buying just-picked farmstand produce, or suburbanites stocking up on artisanal cheeses and extra virgin oils at supermarkets. The United States of Arugula is a rollicking, revealing stew of culinary innovation, food politics, and kitchen confidences chronicling how gourmet eating in America went from obscure to pervasive - and became the cultural success story of our era."

I couldn't have said it better myself...

JDL

Harold and the Purple Crayon

I remember waking up REALLY early one morning when I was about 5 or 6 years old and not being able to get back to sleep. I had a bunch of my favorite books in a brief case that Mom and Dad had found at an estate sale. Harold and the Purple Crayon was one of the books that I had in that brief case. I remember reading it that morning. I absolutely loved this book. When my brother Pete graduated from college, I gave him Harold and the Purple Crayon as a graduation present. To me, the book represented being able to build a world out of the smallest of resources; in this case, a purple crayon. Pete was surprised when he opened the gift. He told me he had never heard of the book before. I couldn't imagine how that could be...

John Adams

Our friend Alyn recently returned the DVD of the John Adams mini-series that we had lent to her. It makes me think of how much I loved reading the book. The book was released in 2001 and I spent a chunk of the summer of that year reading it. Two of his personal relationships are as intriguing as all the nation building going on in the book. His loving relationship with his dear wife Abigail is touching and his troubled friendship with Thomas Jefferson is intense. Not only is the book a fascinating biography of John Adams but also an amazing account of American history.

Bread and Jam for Frances

I had promised my friend Eric he could read Bread and Jam for Frances to my 1st grade class. He wasn't able to make it in the other day and I couldn't hold out reading it to them! It was my favorite story book as a kid, after all! The kids loved it and will love hearing it a second time so I guess I technically didn't break my promise to Eric.

Bread and Jam for Frances

Text is by Russell Hoban

Illustrations by Lillian Hoban

Hemmingway and Bailey's Bartending Guide to Great American Writers

This book is a lot of fun.

From the book jacket:

"In this entertaining homage to the golden age of the cocktail, illustrator Edward Hemingway and writer Mark Bailey present the best (and thirstiest) American writers, their favorite cocktails, true stories of their saucy escapaes, and intoxicating excerpts from their literary works. It's the perfect blend of classic cocktail recipes, literary history and tales of the good old days of extravagant Martini lunches and delicious excess.

Interesting tidbit: Illustrator Edward Hemingway is the grandson of Ernest.

Life Is Meals - Fabrice Moireau

I've already blogged about the book Life Is Meals by James and Kay Salter. Fabrice Moireau did the illustrations for the book and I find them to be quite wonderful. I've just discovered online another book of his work titled Rooftops of Paris which I hope to pick up soon.

Praying with Saint Matthew's Gospel

This book takes the Gospel of Matthew and breaks it down to a daily reading of a verse or two a day. Each daily excerpt includes a commentary.

The Book of Genesis Illustrated by R. Crumb

Comic book/graphic novel version of Genesis with brilliant illustrations by R. Crumb. I've hear that every word is included and that the work was five years in the making.

Currently on My Nightstand...

1) The Book of Genesis Illustrated by R. Crumb

2) Life Is Meals by James and Kay Salter

3) Praying with St. Matthew

4) Hemmingway & Bailey's Bartenting Guide to Great American Writers

Dog Stories

Dog Stories is part of the Everyman's Library Series. It includes many wonderful stories including "Ava's Apartment" by Jonathan Lethem which was originally published in The New Yorker. The story brought tears to my eyes as it really captured the "humanity" of a dog and because Ava reminded me very much of Sophie. The dog on the cover reminds me of my brother Pete's dog, Shelby.

Tikki Tikki Tembo

This was another book Mom read to us as kids. Tikki Tikki Tembo refers to the abbreviated name of the oldest son in the story. His full name is much, much, longer. I read it to my first grade students yesterday and they quite liked it. The Chinese story is retold here by Arlene Mosel. The beautiful pictures are by Blair Lent.

More Bedtime for Frances

I read Bedtime for Frances to the kids at school today. They loved it. Eric, a friend of mine has been volunteering in my classroom recently and when he saw I was going to read it to the class asked if he could read it as it had been his favorite book when he was a kid. I told him no and that it had been MY favorite book as a child! He took it well and I promised him he could read Bread and Jam for Frances when he comes back Friday. Deal.

I Am a Bunny

Richard Scarry wrote and illustrated I Am a Bunny. The beautiful pictures take Nicholas Bunny and the reader through the four seasons.

Bedtime for Frances

Bedtime for Frances is a book I checked out of the library, along with all the other Frances books, a LOT. Frances is an adorable badger that makes lots of life discoveries with the help and guidance of her parents. Here she...

Never Talk to Strangers

Another book I liked and had read to me as a kid is Never Talk to Strangers by Irma Joyce with very 60's-esque illustrations by George Buckett. Many situations in which children might find themselves encountering a stranger are presented and always followed with the advice: "Never talk to strangers."

For example:

"If you're mailing a letter to Aunt Lucille, and you see a car with a whale at the wheel, stay away from him and his automobile. Never talk to strangers."

The book is copyrighted 1967.

The Whistle Bell Train

As a kid I loved the Whistle-Bell Train. The story, by Lee Ryland, is about a train engineer named Big Sam who makes pals with a red, red robin. Mrs. Red, Red Robin build a nest on the steps of the caboose of Big Sam's train. The ticket taker and the station master are not at all happy about the nest being there as they feel it will not have a positive effect on the efficiency of train. Conflict ensues. The charming illustrations are by Frank Aloise. The book is copyrighted 1967.

Animal Train

Another book read to me as a child was Animal Train. The train moves along on its journey with the animals safe and snug inside. The giraffe chews a hole in the roof of her car and a number of the animals climb out and ride on top. A predicament presents itself as the train keeps speeding along. The book by Elizabeth Roberts with adorable illustrations by Ben D. Williams is copyrighted 1952.

Life Is Meals - A Food Lover's Book of Days

I'm currently reading a book titled Life Is Meals by James and Kay Salter. This book is something of a devotional as there is an entry for every day of the year. An underlying theme throughout the book is joy found in sharing meals with others. The full color illustrations by Fabrice Moireau are quite beautiful.

My Bookcase - February 21, 2011

Walt Disney's Mother Goose

I love to read and I know this started at a very early age. My mother read to me and my brothers from the very beginning. One of my

earliest books was Walt Disney's Mother Goose. This Little Golden Book was an introduction to reading and to Mother Goose. I'm a 1st grade teacher and find that a lot of kids today don't know these wonderful rhymes. The cover on the left is the actual cover of the copy we had at home (which disappeared a long time ago) and, I believe, dates to 1952. I recently found a copy of the book in a Minneapolis shop which has the cover shown at right. This edition was released in 2004.