In September and October, SLPL staff read 21 books with 2774 pages. Shirley read the most books with 16 total, but Julie read the most pages with 1632 total. Congrats to everyone for reading the past two months.
Thursday, November 9, 2023
Tuesday, October 31, 2023
Hannukah Baby!
Shirley J. Juvenile E Book This book is part of the indestructibles series for babies & newborns
Hannukkah, Baby! by Ektarine Trukhan 12 pages
This book/series is totally made for babies who like to chew on their books, they sort of absorb their reading material. The books are waterproof, drool all you want babies! They can be washed off - no germs for next time! They are rip proof hence the name indestuctibles. Big bright pictures and few words allow parents/baby sitters to add their own words/descriptions for baby or just go with the pictures and one word pages. The babies will get it. Cute book to share Hannukah with baby.
Fun and Games for Cats
Shirley J. Adult Non-Fiction Teaching and recreational games to play with your cat(s)
Fun and Games for Cats by Denise Seidl 128 pages
A fun book to read and look at as there are illustrations on every page showing and explaining different cat personalities and how best to engage them in play. Play involves a cat's predator response and they love that. Some cats are shy and need a little one on one and patience to becoe interested in play time, the author shares various tacks for appealing to even the most finicky of felines. There are personality tests and tests that will measure your cat's intelligence. The play time is especially necessary for house cats but outdoor or indoor/outdoor cats will love the attention, too and it becomes a beautiful way to bond with your cat. Cats tend to have a 10 minute attention span akin to a 2 year old child so keep loads of different toys, crinkly paper, and boxes to keep kitty interested. A good way to work off some energy before bed so kitty isn't climbing the curtains while you sleep. A fun read with good ideas for cat lovers. I recommend it to people who want to spend time with their cats.
One Small Step Can Change Your Life: The Kaizen Way
Shirley J. Adult Non-Fiction How to make great changes by taking miniscule actions
One Small Step Can Change Your Life: The Kaizen Way by Dr. Robert Mauer 228 pages
Excellent book explaining change and accomplishments do not have to be hard by following the Japanese method of Kaizen which is essentially climbing a mountain by taking that first step up. The book cites examples of how to apply kaizen to your own life - what is it you want to accomplish in your personal life? Your work life? Instead of taking on the whole overwhelming project at once start by taking a ridiculously small first action toward it. Something so small and easily completed it seems sort of absurd but the good news is once you do that first small act, you are on your way. No matter what it is you want to do it can be done with surprising results. A great way to look at how to make huge problems into bite size tolerable actions that accomplish anything you never believed you could. Very good book.
Contenders: Two Native Baseball players, one world series
Shirley J. juvenile literature The story of two native americans who rose to fame in sports
Contenders: Two Native Baseball Players, One World Series by Traci Sorell 48 pages
Two native baseball players who were taken from their families by government programs set up to indoctrinate native children from their cultures into living the life of white people. Native children were torn from their families and forced into boarding schools that strove to take their true identities from them, to strip them of their culture, their language, cut their hair force them to wear the white man's clothes and follow the white man's ways treating them like second class citizens while praising the white lifestyle. This is the story of two of the captives at the orphanage who grew up playing baseball and who were discovered for their excellent skills at the game and who went on to play for different teams who eventually face each other in the world series. A good story showing the cruel reality of early native life after the white man took over to the prejudices they grew up facing and even in adulthood continued to deal with even as professional baseball players.
Barbie Developer: Ruth Handler
Shirley J. Juvenile literature The story of the woman who invented Barbie
Barbie Developer: Ruth Handler by Lee Slater 32 pages
The biography of the woman who invented the Barbie doll and became co-owner of the Mattel Corporation and president of Mattel from 1945 to 1975. Excellent story of achieving success and introducing the world to a toy phenomenon that outlived its maker and is ever more popular as time goes on. Enjoyable read.
Barbie in a Christmas Carol
Shirley J. Juvenile literature Barbie does a version of Dicken's carol
Barbie in a Christmas Carol by Mary Man-Kong 32 pages
A cute story, but, different from the dickens version. In this version Barbie is Eden Starling, owner of a theater with a small company of actors and a costumer. Barbie is scrooge like, hates Christmas, hates giving her actors and seamstress time off for Christmas. She is visited by her evil aunt who taught her to hate Christmas and set the example to be mean to people even though the ghost of Christmas past shows Eden had been a loving child with a best friend Catherine who was still her friend trying to bring back her loving side. Her Aunt's ghost comes back in the Jacob Morley role warning her to change her ways or end up bearing the awfulness that became her afterlife. The ghost of Christmas present finds Eden's employees grousing and mutinying to go home for Christmas and of course the ghost of christmas future showing Eden broke because she alienated her actors and seamstress and her hatefulness finally turns her friend Catherine hateful and hating Christmas, too. Barbie/Eden wakes up and doesn't want this to be her fate nor Catherine's either so like Scrooge she mends her ways gives her staff time off for the holidays gets in the giving spirit and does her best to make the world a better place. A good story for young and old.
Saturday, October 28, 2023
The Mystery Writer by Sulari Gentill
The Mystery Writer by Sulari Gentill 286 pp
After dropping out of law school, Theo heads to her brother's house in Lawrence, KS to write a novel. Theo and her brother Gus are originally from Australia. While looking through the town for a good place to write, she finds a combination bar/coffee house called Benders. While writing there, she meets Dan Murdoch, a fellow author who has already been published, and they become friends. When she finishes her novel, she begs Dan to introduce her to his agent and to submit her novel. He originally says "no." Not finding Dan at Benders one day, she heads to his house to look for him. When she enters, she finds Dan dead. Of course she touches him and gets blood on her so when the police come and she's washing her hands she looks suspicious. Enter Gus who is a lawyer and his friend Mac, an investigator (who has a bunch of end-of-the-world preppers as family). What happens next is a combination spy/assassin/conspiracy theory story including a cult like following of Dan Murdoch who blames Theo for his death. Each chapter begins with a conversation between conspiracy theorists that is very 1/6.
This is a totally different type of story than The Woman in the Library but still about books. I really had to take time to think about this before I gave it any type of rating on either Goodreads or in Net Galley. There were many clever ideas in this story (which I can't talk about or you would be spoiled). Some might say these were too cute. In the US where January 6 will be talked about for years, the conspiracy theories will ring true. While I know "preppers" exist, it is interesting to think of people who are so crazy about an author that they would become violent upon hearing of their death (even in the case of murder). While I enjoyed this story, I would say there may have been too many weird things piled up on each other for me to love it as much as The Woman in the Library. 3.5 stars rounding up to 4 for creativity.
Wednesday, September 13, 2023
Life
Shirley J. Juvenile Fiction Life as seen through animals' lives
Life by Cynthia Rylant 48 pages
Cynthia Rylant talks about life by using animals to illustrate her points. Life starts small then grows. She explores what it means to truly LIVE through the perspective of animals as it relates to the human viewpoint. Whether appreciating small victories, muddling through hard times or celebrating our victories, Rylant encapsulates large difficult concepts and breaks them down to relatable small samplings presented through the behaviors of animals and told in such a way there is no mistaking whether an animal or a child experiences the idea being discussed life is beautiful. I recommend this one for listeners up to kindergarten age.
All the Animals Where I Live
Shirley J. Juvenile Fiction The telling of the author's move to the country
All the Animals Where I Live by Philip C. Stead 48 pages
This is such a dreary melancholy book. The illustrations are washed out and sad looking, the story itself is much that way, too. It must have been a positive, uplifting premise in the author's mind, surely, but, it did not play out on the page that way. Everything just seems sad and has a detached feel to it. It is the story of the author moving from the bustle of City life out to the country. It talks about his country home and all the animals that live near his home that he meets along the way as he goes walking. The trouble is the feel and tone here are not happy-go-lucky, YAY! I live in the country and there are all these great animals to see and interact with. No, the story has the same pale, washed out feeling as the illustrations. I don't recommend this one. There are far better uplifting choices along the same story lines out there.
Tea for Ruby
Shirley J. Juvenile Fiction Being polite, practicing your manners and tea with the Queen
Tea for Ruby by Sarah Ferguson, The Duchess of York 40 pages
Ruby has impeccable manners. She is polite to a fault. Etiquette is her favorite thing and always doing just the right thing the right way pleases her ever so much. When Ruby receives an invitation to have tea with the Queen she especially wants to polish up her poise to be on point! She practices all her good behaviors being the best possible person she can be to everyone she encounters. She curtseys, she inquires as to others health, she listens, she bows, she does her best to mimic the proper princess moves and attitudes she has observed in order to prove herself worthy to the Queen when she attends the tea she has been invited to. She cannot wait! A sweet story of a little girl trying to be her very best self. I recommend this one to listeners up to 8 year olds.
Life on Mars
Shirley J. Juvenile Fiction An astronaut explores the planet Mars carrying a present for whoever/whatever he encounters there
Life on Mars by Jon Agee 32 pages
Really cute story about a young astronaut who is sure there is life on the planet Mars. On a solitary mission he walks all over the planet just knowing in his bones there is life there and he wants to find it. He even brings a present for said life, a box of cupcakes! He journeys here and there but does not meet any new life forms until he comes across a lone flower. There are no other flowers just this one. He picks it from the ground and puts it away to take back to earth to prove there is something alive and growing on Mars. Little does the astronaut know that a huge alien creature has been stalking him the whole way, of course, the reader and those listening to the story know. They see it in the illustrations but it stays behind the astronaut and he never sees it. Finally, the young astronaut returns to earth sad not to have made a discovery of other life on Mars, though, he is happy with the flower he can show everyone when he gets back. He is still carrying the wrapped box bedecked with ribbons that hold the cupcakes. Since there was no one to give them to he decides to open the box himself and enjoy the cupcakes inside but lo and behold! The box is empty! That was some skilled Martian to spirit those cupcakes away while the astronaut carried them and had no idea what happened. I recommend this book for listeners up to kindergarten, maybe first grade.
Tuesday, September 12, 2023
August totals
Only ten books read by three people in August with 2566 pp read.
Shirley read the most books with five, but Julie read the highest number of pages with 1320.
Great job everyone!
Holly Claus the Christmas Princess
Shirley J. Juvenile Fiction When a little boy writes and asks Santa what He would like for Christmas, Santa says a child and Santa's Christmas wish is answered with a baby girl
Holly Claus the Christmas Princess by Brittney Bryant 48 pages
A little boy feels sorry for Santa one Christmas. Everyone always writes to Santa with their wish list, but, this little boy instead wrote and asked Santa what He would like for Christmas. Santa was so surprised and happy that he told the little boy how he and his wife longed for a child of their own and if he could have one wish it would be for a baby of their very own. Someone was listening in the wish making realm and lo and behold the Clauses were blessed with a beautiful baby girl of their own. Nothing can remain all happy or all good for long it seems. An evil wizard casts a cuse on the baby and all the immortals for woe to fall on all of them until the day that Holly gives him her pure heart and agrees to marry him! HORRORS! The book is beautifully illustrated and a good story to add to any Christmas collection. I recommend this one to listeners up to age 9. It is a little longer and a little more intense than the whimsical stories.
The Very Fairy Princess Valentines from the Heart
Shirley J. Juvenile Fiction Gerry worked hard making just the most special valentines for all her friends and family
The Very Fairy Princess Valentines from the Heart by Julie Andrews Edwards and Emma Walton Hamilton 32 pages
Gerry has worked hard to make just the perfect valentine for everyone in her class and can't wait to see their faces when they see them but wait! What???? When she gets to school she finds she has picked up her Dad's work folder instead of her precious lovingly made valentines for all her friends! Disaster!!!! So, she comes up with a creative alternative. Dad finding her valentines gets them there just in time though Gerry has things well in hand. Very Fairy Princesses are good in a crunch and always at the top of their creative potential after all. I recommend this book to listeners up to 8 year olds. A valuable lesson taught her that grand gestures often make up for or are better than written ones! Way to make folks feel good, Gerry.
The Very Fairy Princess: A Fairy Merry Christmas
Shirley J. Juvenile Fiction Gerry's Christmas Adventures
The Very Fairy Princess: A Fairy Merry Christmas 32 pages
Gerry, the very fairy princess, is ready for the holidays. Decorations galore, snowflakes, santas, gingerbread men, snowmen, reindeer and glitter and sparkles a plenty! She is so ready and when Mom suggests the family give each other gifts they have made this year, Gerry, puts on her thinking cap and comes up with just the perfect present for everyone on her list! A very merry Christmas is had by all! I recommend this book to listeners on up to 8 year olds.
Monday, September 11, 2023
The Very Fairy Princess: A Spooky, Sparkly Halloween
Shirley J. Juvenile Fiction Gerry saves Halloween!
The Very Fairy Princess: A Spooky, Sparkly Halloween by Julie Andrews Edwards and Emma Walton Hamilton 32 pages
Gerry comes up with the perfect Halloween costume - a beautiful sparkly angel outfit complete with wings and glittery, halo. She is all ready for the Halloween parade at school, her bff is all set too until "OH NO!" A spill threatens the day when one of their costumes is ruined! Or is it? Gerry the very fairy princess saves the day once again with her exuberant ingenuity! What are friends for? I recommend this book to listeners up to 8 year olds. A teaching lesson on how to give of ourselves when friends are in need.
The Very Fairy Princess: Attitude of Gratitude
Shirley J. Juvenile Fiction Gratitude Day at school time to compliment and do nice things for others, family, friends, even strangers - Gerry learns some valuable lessons in kindness.
The Very Fairy Princess: Attitude of Gratitude by Julie Andrews Edwards and Emma Walton Hamilton 32 pages
An excellent Thanksgiving story to remind us all to be kind and greatful for our bountiful blessings in life. A great teaching story for youngsters to see the good things in life and to share our bounty with others by both giving and doing for others be it a helpful hand when they need it or a kind word to let them know how terrific you think they are. A kind word and/or a kind gesture does wonders for us all, we must remember how much we love to receive so we can be as generous in sharing and caring with others. Gerry is a very vigilant fairy princess in that she is quite complimentary to others and generous to a fault in her giving to make others' day. I recommend this book to listeners up to 8 year olds.
The Very Fairy Princess: Here Comes the Flower Girl!
Shirley J. Juvenile Fiction Gerry gets to be the flower girl in her Aunt's wedding
The Very Fairy Princess: Here Comes the Flower Girl! by Julie Andrews Edwards and Emma Walton Hamilton 32 pages
Gerry is ecstatic! She gets to be flower girl in her Aunt Sue's wedding! While she has visions of hundreds of guests, a billowy white gown and extravagant decorations, it turns out Aunt Sue has something a lot smaller in mind. ie. just family and in the backyard of Gerry's house. At first, Gerry is disappointed but then she realizes having it at her house allows her creative license with the decorations! Even with rain on the big day Gerry finds sparkle in the happiness and love. Another cute story showing how to make lemonade out of lemons. I recommend this one to listeners up to 8 years old.
The Very Fairy Princess Takes the Stage
Shirley J. Juvenile Fiction A little girl who feels she is a fairy princess performs ballet
The Very Fairy Princess Takes the Stage by Julie Andrews Edwards and Emma Walton Hamilton 32 pages
Julie Andrews and her daughter, Emma have written a series of children's books titled, The Very Fairy Princess Series. The series stars a little girl named, Gerry, who loves sparkles and glitter and wearing fairy wings. She does feel she is a fairy princess which is why she loves wearing a crown and her special sparkly wings. In this story, Gerry is performing in a recital with her ballet class. She so expected to get the starring role of Crystal Princess because she is always so sparkly herself, however, her teacher gives her the role of court jester instead. While hurt she does her best to do her best at it after all the girl who got the part of Crystal Princess looked divine in the costume. Making the best of things can turn out awfully grand when your heart is in the right place and sometimes good things follow. A sweet story and an enjoyable series. A good read-aloud series, too. I recommend this to listeners up to age 8. It is a good lesson in being o.k. when you don't get your way.
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