THIS BOOK IS JUST PERFECTION

I know I'm quoting from the fashion mavens when I use this term, but this book truly is perfection.  It is rare that I finish a book and don't have a single criticism: not a single place that could have used just a wee bit more editing, or a little bit more explication.

The author describes her book as comfort food and that is an accurate description in all the right ways.  And at the same time, there are those that would consider it cutting edge.  Regardless, it is a story for everyone.  Funny, edifying and heartwarming all at the same time.

I want to live next door to this family.  I want my kids to be friends with them.  I want to have them over for dinner.  I want to go to their soccer games and plays and yes, Halloween parties.

Best Book Nominee!

MUST SEE AUTHOR EVENT

If you are a cozy mystery reader, by now you have probably discovered Josie Prescott and the town of Rocky Point, New Hampshire.  I had the pleasure of hearing the author, Jane Cleland, at the launch of the newest book in the series, Blood Rubies.  Jane was engaging, endearing, and fascinating.  She spoke about her writing process and the research she does for each book, and how she prevents the research from overtaking the writing.  The best part is that you all have the opportunity to see her this Sunday, December 7th at the Westport Library at 2 pm.  http://westportlibrary.org/events/author-jane-cleland-my-other-life-antiques-dealer?date=2014-12-07

Let Them Eat Cake!



I have always appreciated (and admired) Anna Quindlen's writing.  She spoke in Westport years ago and one of my friends was lucky to be able to go.  She reported back to me on how "normal" Anna Quindlen was; that she is just living her life like the rest of us, but with the gift of perspective and an ability to comment on that life.

If you asked people of my generation to name the one thing that had most changed their life, I imagine most people would respond "technology". This book reminded me of what I forget so often: how much the women's movement affected each and every one of us. Whether you are a daughter, a son, a husband, father, wife, or mother, your daily expectations are different from what they would have been absent the women's movement. Without email, we would still have mail. Without the very laptop I am typing on we would still have paper and pen. But without the women's movement, the world would be a very different place. When my children were little, their doctor was a woman, their dentist was a woman, their teachers were women -- I used to wonder if they knew men could do those things as well. So I understood when Maria asked her mother if men were allowed to be Secretary of State. I owe a debt to all the women who came before me. Perhaps the greatest indication of this is that my daughter does not even know that she does too.

SOCKS, SOCKS AND MORE SOCKS

For years, I have wanted to move beyond knitting rectangles.  Yes, you know who you are out there.  We knitters of scarves and blankets who fear the word gauge.  Well, I am lucky to work with the nicest people in the world.  They encourage me to try new things every day.

My officemate (Westport's real knitting librarian, but she doesn't blog) has been knitting socks for years.  She even took 2 different sets of classes at our local knitting store.  But the class schedule didn't work for me, so she said she would teach me.  She gave me this pattern for a basic sock, and started a pair herself.  As we got to each new step, she would demonstrate it for me, and we knitted our socks side by side.  For the second sock, I did it on my own, but made sure she was nearby when I was doing the heel gusset.

The yarn does all the work here.  The pink/red ones are Regia and the blue/gray are Berroco.  I am on my third pair now (Stroll) and I have bought enough sock yarn from WEBS and KnitPicks to last for many years.  I even found a pattern in a new library book for a Sock Yarn blanket to use up all the leftover bits.  It will be a long time before I have enough for that.  Hmmm, perhaps a scarf instead?

HEARTBROKEN

As I watch the news, day after day, the inevitable happens.  On Friday, it was news all day -- no commercials.  By Saturday, the commercials were back.  And today, Wednesday, as we continue to claim we will never forget, the top story was no longer Sandy Hook Elementary School, but the winter storm out west.

I have been struggling with this - how will we remember these people?  Yes, they will never be forgotten by their families, friends, classmates; but what about the rest of us?  One of the ways time heals all wounds is by letting us forget.  In The Fault in our Stars by John Green, one of the characters, Augustus Waters, talks about how there are 7 billion living people and 98 billion dead people.  So if we could each remember 14 people, theoretically the living could remember all of the dead.  He continues that the problem is that we are "disorganized mourners.  So a lot of people end up remembering Shakespeare, but no one ends up remembering the person he wrote Sonnet Fifty-five about."

I know I will have trouble remembering 26 names 10 years from now.  But one name?  Surely I can remember that.  I can remember one person every day.  But how to go from disorganized to organized mourners?  Then it came to me.  There were 26 victims at Sandy Hook Elementary School and there are 26 letters in the alphabet.  If we go in alphabetical order (I am a librarian, after all) by our last names, no one will be forgotten.

So here is your assignment -- remember one name, and pass this list on so that everyone will be remembered.  Of course, you can remember more than just one name.  If you are so inclined I would suggest remembering those people "assigned" to last names that begin with Q, X, Y or Z.  [This list is taken from the Sunday New York Times.}

• A - Charlotte Bacon, 6
• B - Daniel Barden, 6
• C - Rachel Davino, 29
• D - Olivia Engel, 6
• E - Josephine Gay, 7
• F - Ana Marquez-Greene, 6
• G - Dawn Hochsprung, 47
• H - Dylan Hockley, 6
• I - Madeleine Hsu, 6
• J - Catherine Hubbard, 6
• K - Chase Kowalski, 7
• L - Jesse Lewis, 6
• M - James Mattioli, 6
• N - Grace McDonnell, 7
• O - Anne Marie Murphy, 52
• P - Emilie Parker, 6
• Q - Jack Pinto, 6
• R - Noah Pozner, 6
• S - Caroline Previdi, 6
• T - Jessica Rekos, 6
• U - Avielle Richman, 6
• V - Lauren Rousseau, 30
• W - Mary Sherlach, 56
• X - Victoria Soto, 27
• Y - Benjamin Wheeler, 6
• Z - Allison Wyatt, 6

WINNIE - THE - POOH

I have listened to a lot of children's audio books, and this is, without a doubt, one of the best I have ever heard.  First, it's Winnie-the-Pooh.  The original Winnie-the-Pooh, complete with Bear bumping down the stairs and Piglet having "haycorns" for breakfast.  Second, just look at the cast.  I fell in love with Stephen Fry when he read the Harry Potter books (I used to order them from from Amazon UK.  Sorry Jim Dale, but Stephen Fry is beyond compare.)  And Judi Dench?  Superb.  Jane Horrocks does Piglet with what sounds to me as a touch of a Scottish accent but someone better acquainted with the British Isles might differ.

This is a book that adults will enjoy at least as much as the kids, perhaps more.  There have been many laugh-out-loud moments, but so far my favorite is when Pooh is telling Piglet about their upcoming trip to the North Pole.  Pooh doesn't really understand what an "expotition" is; he only remembers that the word had an x in it.  Of course, timid litle Piglet doesn't hear the word correctly.  He responds "It's isn't their necks I mind.  It's their teeth."  And if you want to improve your childen's vocabulary, they will learn (as Pooh does) that provisions for a trip include food.  All in all, this is a wonderful way to introduce your children to the real (not Disney) Pooh.

MARCH MADNESS

Yes, I am a sports fan, but the March Madness I am talking about is the 4th annual Battle of the Books conducted by School Library Journal.  I can't believe this has been going on for 4 years every March and I just found out about it.  Here's how it works: each year staff at the School Library Journal select 16 books published the previous year.  Those books go head to head in brackets and are judged by other authors.  Here is a link to this year's brackets: 2012 BOB Brackets  The final round brings back one book "from the dead" to go against the final two.

As decisions are made, the judges blog their decision and the reasons for it. I have been able to keep up with the blog this year and am fascinated with their process.  My only regret is that there aren't enough hours in the day to read all these wonderful books.

When I saw the brackets my immediate thought was that whichever of "Okay for Now" or "Wonderstruck" was eliminated would be brought back for the finals, but, having read some of the decisions, now I am not so sure.  What do you think?