"Have you ever tasted a Whitstable oyster?"

After reading three Sarah Waters novels, I'm now able to start ranking them.  The Little Stranger is my favorite so far, followed by Fingersmith.  In third place (and likely to stay at the bottom) is Tipping the Velvet.  It wasn't the strong sexuality of the novel that bothered me but rather the plot lines that were based on ridiculous coincidences.

Nancy Astley is the daughter of an oyster-man in Kent.  She works with her family at their restaurant/business and spends her weekends in Canterbury at the theatre, watching the variety acts and taking a break from her mundane life.  However, she doesn't realize just how unsatisfied she is until the day that Kitty Butler takes the stage dressed as a young man.  Nancy's immediate attraction to Kitty is confusing but undeniable and eventually her life takes a much different direction than she ever imagined.

This novel wasn't as compelling as Waters' other ones.  While I was reading it, I was interested but each time I set it down, I wasn't dying to pick it back up.  The main reason was probably that I didn't find Nancy to be very likable.  She makes a string of ridiculous decisions that just get more and more far-fetched as the story progresses.  And, of course, since she turns out to be a lesbian, almost every woman she meets also turns out to be a lesbian.  It seems rather unlikely that two-thirds of Victorian women were actually gay but that's about how frequently they turn up in this book.  Not only that but they all fall head-over-heels for Miss "somewhat pretty and not very bright" Nancy.  Still, I will say that Waters again won me over with her meticulous period detail and her high quality prose.  This book is quite racy and if you're in the mood for rather a lot of steam and can suspend your disbelief, this is an entertaining read.  If you want to read the best that Waters has to offer, try The Little Stranger instead.

P.S., I hate oysters,
K


Support our site and buy Tipping the Velvet on Amazon or find it at your local library.  We bought our own copy.

A Haul-iday Wish for Chronicle Books

Chronicle Books is giving bloggers a chance to win up to $500 in books and one of their readers will win as well!  I'm super excited about this!  The first step is to come up with a list of books valued up to $500.  I could be entirely selfish and just shop for myself but I know that Z would never forgive me if I left out some of the amazing Chronicle Kids books.

Audrey Hepburn: International Cover Girl by Scott Brizel ($45)

Beach: A Book of Treasure by Josie Iselin ($24.95)

Great White: The Majesty of Sharks by Chris Fallows ($50)

Bird by Andrew Zuckerman ($60)

Ichthyo: The Architecture of Fish ($35)

The Anatomy of the Sea: Over 600 Creatures of the Deep by Dr. David Ponsonby and Professor Georges Dussart ($16.95)

Flour: Spectacular Recipes from Boston's Flour Bakery + Cafe by Joanne Chang ($35)

Tartine Bread by Chad Robertson ($40)

The Ice Cream Deck: 25 Recipes for Homemade Ice Creams and Frosty Treats by Charity Ferreira ($14.95)

Milk & Cookies: 89 Heirloom Recipes from New York's Milk & Cookies Bakery by Tina Casaceli ($24.95, March 2011)

City Walks With Kids: London ($14.95)

Vincent's Colors ($14.95)

Ramayana: Divine Loophole by Sanjay Patel ($29.95)

Other Goose: Re-Nurseried and Re-Rhymed Children's Classics by J.otto Seibold ($19.99)

His Shoes Were Far Too Tight by Edward Lear ($16.99, March 2011)

Squiggles: A Really Giant Drawing and Painting Book by Taro Gomi ($19.99)

Blinkybugs!: Make Your Own Electric Insects by Ken Murphy ($19.99)

Sukie Iron-On Craft Pad ($14.95)

I think this is $498.56 worth of books. Wow!  Now I can't bear to not win this list.  :)

The next step is for you to leave a comment here to be entered to win a matching set of all of the books on our list.  Don't be shy!  Be sure and leave a valid email address if you don't have one in your profile.  This contest is open to U.S. residents only.  Contest ends on December 10.  Winners will be announced on December 13.

I'm dreaming of a ... big stack of books!
K and Z

Starred Saturdays: week of November 7

Well, I briefly felt like I needed to apologize for disappearing for a bit this past week but then I remembered that I'm allowed to take a break from the blog every once in a while.  It's not a job and even if it was, I would take a vacation occasionally!  The good news is that I'm feeling refreshed and more motivated and ready to ramp back up.  So, today's links seem to be all about art!

Do pictures of Earth from space ever get old? How about ones that show the lights of major cities as seen from the International Space Station?

And I think my new photographic obsession is the work of Edward Horsford and his surreal captures of exploding water balloons.  The shape of the water and the shape of the spent balloon are both beautiful.

Hyperrealistic seems to be the most recent art movement and I am a big fan.  Marc Sijan is a master of eerily realistic sculpture and Max Ferguson paints in the most amazingly detailed way.

Certainly the most unusual animal photography I've ever seen is that of Ryan McGinley and his animals and nudes (really, really not safe for viewing at work and not for you if you're uncomfortable with nudity).  If you would like to enjoy some beautiful and safe-for-everyone animal photography, the work of Charlotte Dumas should be a better fit.

And since we've already hit sculpture, photography and canvassed art today, here are some amazing 3-D murals by Eric Grohe.  Some of them look perfect enough to walk right into. (via Flavorpill)

Oh! I almost forgot Simon Schubert and his folded paper art!  I wasn't sure what that meant when I saw the name and then I saw the art and was absolutely blown away.

And I'll leave you today with the film trailer for the new Jane Eyre that is coming out in March and stars Mia Wasikowska (Alice from Tim Burton's recent film).  It looks stunning!  (And honestly, I would watch it anyway for Dame Judi Dench.)

Back in the bloggy saddle,

K

Do Unto Goldfish and Dragons

We have had some fantastic picture books in the house recently.  Let's take a look at three of them --

Do Unto Otters: A Book About Manners is a cute take on the golden rule, written and illustrated by Laurie Keller.  Mr. Rabbit has some new neighbors, a family of otters, and he is worried that they might not get along. His owl friend relays an old saying to him: Do unto otters as you would have otters do unto you.  Mr. Rabbit decides that he would like to be treated in a friendly way with politeness, honesty and consideration.  And a bit of cooperation, fair play and sharing wouldn't hurt either!  And while he's making his list, he also adds "won't tease", apologize and forgive.  I think he's on his way to being a great neighbor himself!

This book is chock-full of adorable puns and cute animals with large eyes.  Keller's sense of humor is fun for kids and adults and the illustrations are full of tiny details that also add to the silliness of this book.  And what better way to convince a kid to do something than to make it seem fun, right?  From the universal "magic word" to being on time, this book runs the gamut of kid manners and would be an awesome addition to any home or school library.  Just be sure that the kids remember that these rules aren't always meant to be taken literally.  Including "everyone (even bees)" in your playtime might work for otters but not so much for people!

Another favorite this week is Not Norman: A Goldfish Story, written by Kelly Bennett and illustrated by Noah Z. Jones.  Z read this one out loud to me the other night and we actually spent the entire evening (and part of the next day) discussing his new imaginary goldfish, I.B.

The little boy in the book receives Norman for his birthday.  He didn't want a goldfish but that's what he got.  He was hoping for a pet that was a bit more interactive, even if Norman perks up when his bowl gets cleaned.  At Show-and-Tell, the other kids all bring in interesting pets but the boy only has Norman.  There's a ruckus in the class during the boy's presentation and nobody listens to what he's saying -- nobody but Norman.  In fact, Norman seems to be a calm and stable friend.  Maybe he's worth keeping after all.

This is such a cute book.  Norman is an adorable little fish and I'm glad that everything worked out with the boy.  Z loved it too.  He invented an imaginary pet (he's not fond of the two cats we already have) and drew a picture of him on the iPad.  He's got a great tank with a plant, red gravel, a skull and a diver!  He's my favorite pet in the house right now too.

drawing by Z

The last book that we read (and loved) this week is Oscar and the Very Hungry Dragon by Ute Krause.  This is a very fun fairy tale-ish story about a town that has been losing their princesses to the peculiar appetites of a local dragon.  In fact, they've now run out of princesses and are moving on to sending children up the hill to be eaten.  Poor Oscar's name is the first drawn and he sets off to his demise.  The dragon is disappointed at getting such a scrawny morsel for his meal and Oscar sees his chance.  He offers to fatten himself up with some of the amazing cooking he learned from his mother.  Of course, Oscar is also hoping that the dragon might find the tasty treats a bit more tempting than little boy.  Will he be successful?

This is a picture book with a bit more text than some others, great as a read-to-me or for emerging readers.  And it has some great use of caps ("NOOO AND NOOO AGAIN!") which Z particularly loves reading out loud.  He's a big fan of shouting in books.  As a side note, this is a translated picture book (from German) and it's rather well done.  I didn't even realize it until I looked at the publisher's page later.  In fact, NorthSouth's specialty is bringing international children's books to the U.S. and Canada.  Awesome!

Making new friends of all sizes,
K and Z


Support our site and buy Do Unto Otters: A Book About Manners, Not Norman: A Goldfish Story and Oscar and the Very Hungry Dragon on Amazon or find them at your local library.  We borrowed copies of these books from the school library and the public library.

New Release: The Next Queen of Heaven

Gregory Maguire is a favorite author of mine partly because you never know exactly what you're going to get from one of his many youth, YA or adult novels.  The Next Queen of Heaven takes that to a new level because this one has nothing to do with fantasy or fairy tales or even really imagination.  It's starkly real and painful and tragic with only the human spirit shining through.

First, let me tell you something that the summary on the back keeps secret for some reason -- one of the two narratives in this book is about a gay man and his friends.  I'm not sure why this is masked but I really wasn't expecting it at all.  Anyway, this novel alternates between two stories that happen simultaneously in the small New England town of Thebes.  Tabitha Scales is a slightly dim-witted but beautiful delinquent teen who is forced to grow up after her born-again mother becomes incapacitated by a falling statue of the Virgin Mary in the basement of the local Catholic church.  Jeremy Carr is the gay choir director of that Catholic church.  He is nursing a years old broken heart and dealing with a close friend's terminal AIDS struggle.  The reader is dragged through these messy and mostly unrelated narratives that depict a few short months of heartbreak and transformation, all against the backdrop of religion and sexuality.

With a bit of humor and loads more humanity, Maguire brings us into the lives of these seemingly average small-town residents.  The most fascinating characters (and certainly the most lovable) are the unexpected Sisters of the Sorrowful Mysteries -- a group of lonely, elderly nuns in a local convent.  In fact, there is so much of the unexpected in this novel that I don't want to say any more about the plot or characters.  The strength of this story is in the way that it unfolds and develops.  It is quite irreverent and sometimes profane and most of the characters are only mildly likable at best.  And yet it is a compelling story that sucked me in, educated me and left me exhausted but thoughtful at the end.

In awe of the author,
K


Support our site and buy The Next Queen of Heaven on Amazon or find it at your local library.  We received a copy for review from the LTER program.

Bookish Pet Peeve #4: Better Covers

I don't know why but my reading has slowed down considerably over the last couple of weeks.  It might be that fall television and the NBA season have started (go Lakers!).  Or it could be that I still don't have a fully-functioning laptop which means that I'm on the iPhone and the iPad quite a bit and we all know how you get sucked into repetitive games on devices!  So, in lieu of a review, you get another one of my random bookish pet peeves -- when the artwork on a paperback or a hardcover is significantly better than the other option for that book.


The possible problems as I see them are these:

1. You buy the hardcover of a much-anticipated book only to see a wonderful cover on the paperback the next year.  This always causes a bit of grumbling because you already spent the big bucks on one that is now less appealing.

A Beautiful Blue Death in hardcover and paperback

2. You wait for the paperback of a lesser anticipated book only to find that it has a less appealing cover.  Then you go looking for the hardcover which caught your attention in the first place and it's already hard to find.

The Ground Beneath Her Feet hardcover (iridescent!) and paperback

3. You buy the paperback not knowing there is a better looking hardcover still available out there.  Of course, you see that cover about a week later and on the discount shelf.

Stone's Fall hardcover and paperback

A buying dilemma certainly arises when both covers are equally awesome.  And of course we also run into the issues with better international covers, right?

Do you have a book in mind that had a much better cover in one version or the other?  Have you ever bought a second copy of a book just for the cover?  Don't you wish that books would just have the same cover on both versions (like The Little Stranger does)?

Judging books by their covers (to the detriment of my pocketbook),
K

Learning to Be Kind is Easy

One of the most important duties any parent or caregiver has is to teach children how to treat their peers in a respectful and friendly way.  This can be especially hard when there are other children around them who are setting a bad example by being mean or even bullying.  Luckily there are books out there that can help parents get the message across that being a good friend is always the way to go.

Say Hello by Jack & Michael Foreman is a simply worded and drawn picture book with an equally simple premise.  From the jacket flap --

When someone looks lonely and in need of a friend, one little word can help ...

The book starts by following a lonely dog who finds a group of kids on a playground and joins in to play.  Then it switches to a small boy who feels alone and left out.  Luckily the dog notices him and run over to invite him to the group.  The kids welcome him with a hearty "Hello!"

I'm sure you are aware that kids on their own make easy targets for bullies.  So even if your child isn't bullying, they may be unknowingly contributing to the problem by not being friendly to the kids on the fringes.  Teaching them to keep an eye out for lonely or left-out children may make all the difference.  This is a perfect way to remind your child of how nice it feels to be included.

The star of his own series, Andy Shane has met his match in Andy Shane and the Very Bossy Dolores Starbuckle.  Written by Jennifer Richard Jacobson and illustrated by Abby Carter, this is a book about dealing with a difficult classmate.

Andy Shane (his first and middle name, I think) doesn't want to go to school anymore.  He feels harassed and intimidated by Dolores Starbuckle, the class know-it-all.  Andy's grandma decides to make a surprise visit to the class to show Andy a different way of dealing with a tough situation than just avoiding it and staying home.  He is able to use his own inner strength and smarts to make peace with the difficult Dolores.

Andy Shane's predicament may feel familiar to many kids.  He is rarely able to answer a question in class without being interrupted and he's being told on for every little thing he does that veers from the norm even though there is nothing wrong with his choices.  This can be very hard on children and make them believe that they don't enjoy school.  This book helps show that there are ways to change the situation through one's own actions.

We can all use tools like these books to help navigate the difficult waters of parenthood.  Z and I not only read them together but discussed how he felt about the topics and how he felt he was doing in his peer relationships.  I plan on donating these books to Z's school in hopes that the right kid will pick them up when they are most needed.

Educating and improving,
K and Z


Support our site and buy Say Hello and Andy Shane and the Very Bossy Dolores Starbuckle on Amazon or find them at your local library.  We received copies for review from the publisher, Candlewick Press.

RIP Challenge Wrap-Up

Oh, it was a glorious Readers Imbibing Peril season!  I'm so sad that it's over.  I didn't get to read as many books as I wanted to but I'm still quite happy with my results!  Thanks again a million times to Carl for hosting this great challenge.  Some of us don't need motivation to get through this type of book at this time of year but I was glad to see so many of you join in that aren't regular readers of perilous books.  I hope that it enhanced your season!

We posted 19 reviews of 24 books -- 13 fiction, 2 non-fiction and 9 picture books.  One of the fiction was a graphic novel, one was an audiobook and one was a short story collection.

We posted about 2 films even though we watched many more.  We decided to just post about the film/book pairs.

I got through 12 books from my TBR shelves which makes me VERY happy!  Some of them had been on my stacks for over a year.

Here is a round-up of our reviews.  I've put each of our favorites in bold but we would recommend almost all of these.  We had few complaints!

The Oxford Murders
The Picture of Dorian Gray (graphic novel and film)
The Gates
The Graveyard Book (audiobook)
The Wave (non-fiction)
Welcome to Monster Town, Bats to the Rescue! and Skeleton Hiccups
The Little Stranger
Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief (book and film)
Stories (short stories)
The Haunted Ghoul Bus, A Very Brave Witch and The Big Halloween Scare
What Alice Knew
The Time of the Ghost
The Prince of Mist
Haunted House
The Domino Men
Spook (non-fiction)
The Angel Maker
Skeleton Meets the Mummy and There Was an Old Lady That Swallowed a Bat
The Casebook of Victor Frankenstein

Until next year,
K and Z