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More books
Sep. 8th, 2006 10:38 pmMy dear husband stayed home with all four kids today so I could wander around downtown...er, I mean, go to the store for school supplies. (School starts on Wednesday. Have I mentioned that it's not only a new school, but in a language our kids don't actually speak? Are we nervous yet?) Anyhow, the bus drops you off at this central square, and on this central square is the lovely, 3-story bookstore that is ALWAYS busy, because ever since Johannes Gutenberg came along, the Germans simply haven't been able to get enough of the printed word. And I haven't, either. I wandered the children's section, which was full of tables upon tables of books I either loved, or would love if I had the money to buy them. Sigh. Poverty is hard sometimes.
I got myself out and headed for the library (that being "free," and all, once you've paid your yearly dues), thinking I'd see if anything good was available. (Usually what I'm looking for is checked out.) Well, stretched across the sidewalk right out front were tables and crates, all marked "Kinderbuecher"!! 1 Euro per book. I bought four: a time travel book (YA), a nonfiction book called "Who's Afraid of the Big, Bad Wolf?" (only in German--I forget the specific title, but it talked specifically about wolves in Europe, which is what I wanted to know. They are only available in zoos in Europe now, in case you're wondering.) Also a picture book translated from French, which was heavy on pictures, low on words, and almost like a graphic novel (except it was a picture book--sorry, don't know how to explain it, except that the text was dialogue and the story was a mystery). The fourth was a midgrade chapter book involving stories from Grimm, an iron dragon, and lots of lovely illustrations. Visually, it was a beautiful book. I hope the story is good, too.
I did check out some books from the library (they had Louis Sacher's book Small Steps, in English, even), and then headed to the store. Which meant a very heavy backpack on the way home, but hey, you have to make sacrifices for books, right?
Okay, so here are two recent books I've read:
Endymion Spring, by Matthew Skelton. This was a fun read. A little jarring going back and forth between Gutenberg's time (hurrah for Gutenberg!) and the present, but a nice setting (Oxford) with nods to just about every interesting literary figure there (I rather liked the reference to Turkish delight--we made some once, and urgh, the rose water just didn't do it for me). It was kind of cerebral, which is sometimes what I'm in the mood for. I'd probably pick up the sequel.
Rules, by Cynthia Lord. Read this book!! This is not a cerebral book, it's a book that grabs you around the heart and squeezes. It's about a twelve-year-old girl whose younger brother is autistic. The rules are the things she has to explicity tell him, because he can't just pick up on them like other people. It was funny but it also made me cry. The girl makes friends with a paralyzed boy who can't talk, but rather points to word cards, and I was amazed at how well Cynthia got this kid's attitude across with such limited vocabulary. I guess you could say this was a "quiet" book--no life or death situations, no danger that the world will end if the magical object isn't saved, none of that--and yet, the book was packed with tension. Award-nominators, take note! It IS possible to have a quiet book with a PLOT! Plus, every single word was perfect; not one word in excess. I read it once, went to sleep, and got up the next day and read it again. This was a Perfect Book.
Finally, Kenneth Oppel's Skybreaker. Jules Verne in the Titanic era; pirates, but with airships. A wonderful sense of adventure, excellent prose, a likeable hero (and heroine!)--what more could you ask for? I hope he has another one coming out soon.
I got myself out and headed for the library (that being "free," and all, once you've paid your yearly dues), thinking I'd see if anything good was available. (Usually what I'm looking for is checked out.) Well, stretched across the sidewalk right out front were tables and crates, all marked "Kinderbuecher"!! 1 Euro per book. I bought four: a time travel book (YA), a nonfiction book called "Who's Afraid of the Big, Bad Wolf?" (only in German--I forget the specific title, but it talked specifically about wolves in Europe, which is what I wanted to know. They are only available in zoos in Europe now, in case you're wondering.) Also a picture book translated from French, which was heavy on pictures, low on words, and almost like a graphic novel (except it was a picture book--sorry, don't know how to explain it, except that the text was dialogue and the story was a mystery). The fourth was a midgrade chapter book involving stories from Grimm, an iron dragon, and lots of lovely illustrations. Visually, it was a beautiful book. I hope the story is good, too.
I did check out some books from the library (they had Louis Sacher's book Small Steps, in English, even), and then headed to the store. Which meant a very heavy backpack on the way home, but hey, you have to make sacrifices for books, right?
Okay, so here are two recent books I've read:
Endymion Spring, by Matthew Skelton. This was a fun read. A little jarring going back and forth between Gutenberg's time (hurrah for Gutenberg!) and the present, but a nice setting (Oxford) with nods to just about every interesting literary figure there (I rather liked the reference to Turkish delight--we made some once, and urgh, the rose water just didn't do it for me). It was kind of cerebral, which is sometimes what I'm in the mood for. I'd probably pick up the sequel.
Rules, by Cynthia Lord. Read this book!! This is not a cerebral book, it's a book that grabs you around the heart and squeezes. It's about a twelve-year-old girl whose younger brother is autistic. The rules are the things she has to explicity tell him, because he can't just pick up on them like other people. It was funny but it also made me cry. The girl makes friends with a paralyzed boy who can't talk, but rather points to word cards, and I was amazed at how well Cynthia got this kid's attitude across with such limited vocabulary. I guess you could say this was a "quiet" book--no life or death situations, no danger that the world will end if the magical object isn't saved, none of that--and yet, the book was packed with tension. Award-nominators, take note! It IS possible to have a quiet book with a PLOT! Plus, every single word was perfect; not one word in excess. I read it once, went to sleep, and got up the next day and read it again. This was a Perfect Book.
Finally, Kenneth Oppel's Skybreaker. Jules Verne in the Titanic era; pirates, but with airships. A wonderful sense of adventure, excellent prose, a likeable hero (and heroine!)--what more could you ask for? I hope he has another one coming out soon.
