Posting round these parts has been sporadic of late. Don't pretend you haven't noticed. There's a whole lot of something (and also sumpthin', as well as sumpthin' sumpthin') brewing here at 50 Books HQ. In fact, almost every area of my life has changed radically from what it was a mere six months ago.But more on all this later. My dear Doppelsis is jetting into town for a visit this week, and I'm going to be doing my best to act as a good host. (Shit. I forgot to pick up the pillow mints!) So I'll see you all back here in a week or so, okay?In the meantime, I'll leave you with this to rock your world. (Ha! "Rock." I still got it. Oh, yeah.)
Remember a while back when I rhapsodized about my awesome Presso manual espresso maker? At the time, it was only available in the UK (I got mine via my fabulous friend Suzi, who loves me and knows the value of good coffee), much to the chagrin of many of you.Well, I'm pleased to announce that the Presso seems to be taking the globe by storm and is now available for sale in Canada, the US, Australia, and lordy... I don't know where else. Maybe everywhere! Woot! I'm not exaggerating when I say this is some of the best news I've had in weeks. Now we can get a second machine for the cabin! And if you're planning to get hitched and invite me to the wedding, just guess what you're getting as a gift. Which is for the best, because I WAS planning to get you monogrammed his 'n' hers (or his 'n' his, or hers 'n' hers, as the case may be) matching thongs.
"Man, copying all the phone numbers from my old cell to my new one is taking forever."
"Yeah, that's a pain in the ass."
"And I keep finding people I don't remember at all."
"That's what happens when you keep the same phone for nine years."
"Like, I don't think I've ever even met a Nina, and yet there's one right here in my address book."
"Probably from your raver days."
"Getting contact deets from all my new best friends."
"Who you never saw again."
"Totally."
"'Hey, everybody! Have you met Nina? She and I are going to get together sometime to make soap!'"
So, this is kind of funny. Not "ha-ha" funny, you understand. More like "huh" funny. Play along with me for a moment.Realizing that our municipal strike, which has been going on for almost FOUR MONTHS now, could keep going indefinitely -- meaning that, in addition to having garbage piling up in a scary fashion in our shed, we also continue to not have access to the local library* -- I finally caved and ordered Sam some new books:Lost and Found
"Once there was a boy who found a penguin at his door. From this opening line to the very end, this gentle story of friendship will capture young readers' imaginations."
Tikki Tikki Tembo
"Tikki Tikki Tembo (which means "the most wonderful thing in the whole wide world") and his brother Chang (which means "little or nothing") get into trouble with a well, are saved by the Old Man with the Ladder, and change history while they're at it."
Snowmen at Night
"Not since Frosty paraded through the village square have snowmen enjoyed such a slip-sliding good time as they do in the Buehners' latest flight of fancy."
Now, these are all good stories, and I stand behind them, but note anything interesting? Such as the fact that, in light of my recent complain-y post, NONE OF THESE BOOKS HAVE FEMALE CHARACTERS. Argh. Somebody thump me.So, to refresh my memory -- and to give myself a one-stop wishlist to refer to next time I shop for kids' books -- I've reviewed all your comments on my original post, and I've compiled a list of stories for pre-schoolers that prominently feature girls. It's a work in progress, but it's a start:- Stellaluna by Janell Cannon
- The Miss Spider series by David Kirk
- Princess Smartypants by Babette Cole
- The Frances series by Russell and Lillian Hoban
- The Paper Bag Princess, A Promise is a Promise, Angela's Airplane, David's Father, Millicent and the Wind, Moira's Birthday, Murmel Murmel Murmel, Pigs!, Something Good, Stephanie's Ponytail, and The Boy in the Drawer by Robert Munsch (Here's where I sadly must confess that, so far, Sam is not feeling the Munsch)
- Chrysanthemum, Lily and her Purple Plastic Purse, and Julius, The Baby of the World by Kevin Henkes
- The Little House and Katy and the Big Snow by Virginia Lee Burton
- Helga's Dowry and Adelita by Tomie DePaola
- When I'm Sleepy by by Jane R. Howard and Lynne Cherry
- The Charlie and Lola series by Lauren Child
- Big Momma Makes the World and Lucia and the Light by Phyllis Root
- The Princess Knight, plus many other titles by Cornelia Funke (who is now at the top of my list... well, not THIS list, but the list in my head)
- The Seven Chinese Sisters by Kathy Tucker and Grace Lin
- The Library by Sarah Stewart
- Moonstruck by Gennifer Choldenko
- Roxaboxen by Alice Mclerran and Barbara Cooney
- A Bad Case of Stripes by David Shannon
- The Balloon Tree by Phoebe Gilman
- Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle by Betty Macdonald
- Noisy Nora by Rosemary Wells
- The Little Princess series (which, trust me, is NOT all princess-y) by Tony Ross
- The Daisy series by Jane Simmons
- Blueberries for Sal by Robert McCloskey
- If You Give a Pig a Pancake by Laura Joffe Numeroff and Felicia Bond
- Miss Rumphius by Barbara Cooney
- Ugly Truckling by David Gordon
- Knuffle Bunny by Mo Willems (I can vouch for this one. The story is cute and the illustrations are fabulous.)
- Lizzy's Lion by Dennis Lee
- Ganzy Remembers by Mary Grace Ketner
- Mrs. McTats and Her Houseful of Cats by Alyssa Satin Capucilli and Joan Rankin
- Who Said Boo? by Anne Miranda
- Attic of the Wind by Doris Herold Lun and Ati Forberg
- Baby Island by Carol Ryrie Brink
- George and Martha: One Fine Day by James Marshall
- Maggie and the Pirates by Ezra Jack Keats
- Katy No-Pocket by Emmy Payne
- Fairy Wings by Lauren Mills
- Dahlia by Barbara McClintock
- Red Riding by Jean Merrilla
- Outside, Over There by Maurice Sendak
- Peg and the Yeti by Kenneth Oppel
- Bullfrog Builds a House by Rosamond Dauer and Byron Barton
- Petronella by Jay Williams
- A Cowboy Named Ernestine by Nicole Rubel
- Cinder Edna by Ellen Jackson
- Little Red Cowboy Hat by Susan Lowell
- Eloise by Kay Thompson
- Sleepless Beauty by Frances Minters
- Christina Katerina and the Box by Patricia Lee Gauch
- The Maggie B by Irene Haas
- The Stella series by Marie-Louise Gay (Bonus: She has a little brother named Sam!)
Thanks so much to everyone who left suggestions. Keep 'em coming!*Understand this: I fully support our librarians. They're getting screwed. Vancouver has a higher cost of living than Toronto. Why, then, do our library workers earn, on average, seven dollars per hour less than their eastern counterparts? Yeah, I think it's a good question, too.
To dream of your own death indicates a transitional phase in your life. You are becoming more enlightened or spiritual. Alternatively, you are trying desperately to escape the demands of your daily life.
Or possibly both. I like to multi-task, even when sleeping.
It's a funny thing about memes. Everybody pretends to hate them, and perhaps some people actually do, but then a few weeks or months pass and nobody tags you, and you start to feel a little sad. "What did I do?" you wonder. "Maybe I shouldn't have pretended to be so dismissive about memes. And can someone remind me again why they're called memes anyway?"
Fortunately, Carrie has rescued me from this small human tragedy.
1. Hardcover or paperback, and why?
Paperback, because hardcovers really hurt if they land on your face when you fall asleep while reading.
2. If I were to own a book shop I would call it…
Books, Ink. If being twee is wrong, I don't want to be right.
3. My favorite quote from a book (mention the title) is…
From one of my favourite novels, Tender Is the Night by F. Scott Fitzgerald: "Most people think everybody feels about them much more violently than they actually do--they think other people's opinions of them swing through great arcs of approval or disapproval."
4. The author (alive or diseased) I would love to have lunch with would be…
No way I could ever do this. I get tongue-tied in normal human interactions. I don't need the added pressure of hero worship. But pretending that I'm a person completely devoid of social neuroses, I guess I'd have to say F. Scott Fitzgerald, since he wrote one of my favourite books and all. Maybe we could get drunk together. That would help.
5. If I was going to a deserted island and could only bring one book, except from the SAS survival guide, it would be…
You know, I've never found a satisfactory answer to this question. I've been in similar situations with camping trips or trips to non-English-speaking countries, where I knew I'd have to carefully plan which books to bring, and I've yet to find a book with the nigh-infinite ability to engage me. In a fit of desperation, I once even tried the Bible. No dice. I'm probably going to hell... which will probably be a lot like being on a desert island with nothing good to read.
6. I would love someone to invent a bookish gadget that…
Turns back time so I could read all night and then get a full night's sleep.
7. The smell of an old book reminds me of…
This crazy used book store that was right around the corner from Rusty's and my first apartment. It occupied every room in an old house, and the entire place had that old book smell. I always imagined the owner did, too, and I wondered if she minded the fact that, say, her hair would smell like old books even when she was away from the shop. Or maybe she liked it, kind of like when you go camping and days later you catch a whiff of woodsmoke on your jacket and it makes you extra happy for just a moment.
8. If I could be the lead character in a book (mention the title), it would be…
It'd be fun to be Jane Austen's Emma. She was flawed but charming, and she seemed to have a pretty nice life.
9. The most overestimated book of all times is…
Probably something really weighty and serious and important. In other words, something I haven't read and therefore can't comment on. That or a Harry Potter book.
10. I hate it when a book…
Sucks. I know that sounds like a facile answer, but I really do.
Oh, crap. I always forget that this is the part where I'm supposed to tag other people. Well, if you've been coming here for a while, you're familiar with my usual meme policy: consider yourself tagged if you'd like, but please post a link to your site in the comments so I can read your answers. And have a happy Monday!
