Young Reader in the Making

Young Reader in the Making

Tuesday, March 27, 2018

Book 599: Dr. Spock's Baby and Child Care

Dr. Spock's Baby and Child Care, by Benjamin Spock, M.D.

This book is helpful -- I will allow that -- but I wouldn't use it at a 'baby care bible'.  It is a reference,  but it is no replacement for a parent's instincts.  Also, please, please, please, do not compare your child to another child of the same age.  Children do learn at different rates.  For example, my son tried to walk just before he turned one.  He fell.  He did not try again for another four months.  Then when he walked, he never fell down.  He learns like that with everything.  He might be slower to grasp a concept, but once he does, he masters it.  So make this book a guide, not a 'bible'.

Saturday, March 24, 2018

Book 598: The Secret Garden

The Secret Garden, by Frances Hodgson Burnett.

This book is a classic.  It deserves to be a classic, but that doesn't mean it is perfect.  It is, at times, so sweet it makes your teeth ache.  It is, at times, so simplistic a six-year-old could spot the plot.  But then there is the ending.  The ending makes everything worthwhile.

Book 597: Russian Folk Tales

Russian Folk Tales, by James Riordan, Oxford University Press, 2000.

I have long thought that all fairy tales are derived from the story of Cupid and Psyche (or, from the source, The Golden Ass).  This book does not disprove my theory. 

It was interesting to recognize Russian versions of familiar stories, like Cinderella, and East of the Sun and West of the Moon, and even Baron Munchausen.  I don't think the telling of the stories was quite as dynamic as it could have been, nor were the illustrations as engaging as they could have been.

Sunday, March 18, 2018

Book 596: You Might As Well Live

You Might As Well Live, by John Keats, Simon and Schuster, 1970.

This book was well-written, and I learned much about Dorothy Parker from reading it.  It did, however, also prove the adage that some troubled people use wit to make the world a little less bitter for everyone. 

Book 595: Three Mrs. Murphy Tales

Three Mrs. Murphy Tales, by Rita Mae Brown, Wings Books, 2003.

Two thirds of this book aren't bad.  I would skip the final section, unless you think that the Civil War was fought over "states' rights".

Saturday, March 17, 2018

Book 594: Puppies for Dummies

Puppies for Dummies, by Sarah Hodgson, Wiley Publishing, 2006.

This book is an excellent source of information for anyone who is even thinking bringing a puppy into their home. And the center photos, while not necessary, are completely adorable.

Thursday, March 15, 2018

Book 593: The Innocent Mrs. Duff/The Blank Wall

The Innocent Mrs. Duff/The Blank Wall, by Elisabeth Panxay Holding, Quality Paperback, 2002.

Both of these stories are suspenseful and very well-written.  The first story is not so much about Mrs. Duff as it is Mr. Duff; she doesn't even get to react very much.  The second story is about a middle-aged mother of teens, but she is more of a reactor than actor. 

Tuesday, March 13, 2018

Book 592: A Knight in Shining Armor

A Knight in Shining Armor, by Jude Devereaux, Pocket Books, 1989.

This book was my guilty pleasure in my early twenties.  I probably read it at least three times back then.  After that, I put it away and didn't read it again for several years -- until now.

Most of what enchanted me in the first place still at the very least held my interest.  I remember being struck then how well this book was researched for it 'just being a romance'.  I still found it well-researched.  I may have found the motives of the main character a little difficult to understand now, but in my twenties, they would have made perfect sense to me.



Monday, March 12, 2018

Book 591: Sleeping Murder, Murder at the Vicarage

Sleeping Murder, Murder at the Vicarage, by Agatha Christie, Dodd, Mead & Company, 1976.

This book was a delightful two-for-one.  It was interesting reading the last Miss Marple story first, and then reading the first Miss Marple, but if you are feeling rebellious, read them in the opposite order.  It doesn't really matter; they both are wonderful and should be read.


Saturday, March 10, 2018

Book 590: The Blank Wall

The Blank Wall, by Elisabeth Panxay Holding, Skeffington, 1947.

This book is supposed to be about Lucia Holley, a mother trying to raise her two teenage children while her husband is a captain in the second world war.  It is supposed to be, but Lucia is a reactor, and not an actor.  All of her reactions are to protect her children and live-in father.  Far more interesting is Donnelly.  His motives are as murky as his morals.

Saturday, March 3, 2018

Book 589: God's Guest List

God's Guest List, Debbie Macomber, Simon & Schuster, 2010.

This book takes a very long time to say that God brings people into our lives for a reason.  If you like the long, winding, rambling path, you would probably like this book.  If not, leave this book on the shelf, and just know that God brings people into our lives for a reason.

Friday, March 2, 2018

Book 588: Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil

Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, John Berendt, Vintage Books, 1994.

I first read this book when I was living in Florida and had never visited Savannah. I didn't understand it. Now I live in Charleston, SC, and have visited Savannah a few time. I get it. Characters in the South really are this quirky. And Savannah and Charleston may be 'sister cities', but Charleston is the prim and proper sister, and Savannah is the sister who throws the best parties.