To love...with warts and all

Today's book came into my life by chance. For those of you who aren't aware, I recently started a new job as a Children's Librarian (hence why there are a TON of picture books about to be reviewed in the coming weeks). Well, we have a listserv where we communicate about programming, crafts, and books that may or may not be circulating in our branches. That is how I came to find Miss Brooks Loves Books (and I don't) written by Barbara Bottner and illustrated by Michael Emberley. From the title and cover alone, I knew this was going to be a winner. When it came to me it was a bit the worse for wear (there was some minor surgery needed) but after I read it through I knew this would be the perfect readaloud book. AND I WAS RIGHT. The story revolves around a little girl who is the antithesis of Miss Brooks who is a very enthusiastic Children's Librarian. This little girl has absolutely no interest in reading or in participating in any of the activities (costuming, poetry, etc.) that Miss Brooks organizes for the other children. As the reader follows along, we continue to see Miss Brooks trying everything in her power to make this little reluctant reader a lover of literature. The illustrations are an absolutely perfect addition as they are humorous, colorful, and accompany the text brilliantly. (Kids find lots to point out and discuss as you're reading.) If you have any reluctant readers in your life this might be just the book to show them that there is a book for everyone. I am so excited that this came into my life when it did and that I can not only share it with the kids but also with all of you. XD 10/10

Source: michaelemberley.com

And since I won't be posting until the 27th...MERRY CHRISTMAS!

**If you're interested in buying this book or any books really, you can click here or here. The first will re-direct you to AbeBooks and the second will re-direct you to The Book Depository. These are great websites for purchasing books (AbeBooks carries inexpensive used and out-of-print books and The Book Depository ships free everywhere in the world). Full disclosure: I will receive a commission on all sales made by following either of these links. I wouldn't recommend a site that I didn't use and you are under no obligation to purchase anything. :-) **

There's growing pains and then there's this

I've just read Stitches by David Small in one sitting. I'm not saying this to brag about my reading speed but more to express how engrossing I found his art and writing. Stitches is a memoir which focuses on an event which no one should ever have had to experience. First, there's the disturbing picture of his home life and the interaction of his parents with him and with one another (and his brother). One might argue that the silence endured in his home was a result of culture at that time (it was the 1950s). However, life is hardly ever so simply explained. (If you are looking to diversify your reading experience to encompass mental illness then you should check out this book.) The entire book is without color. To me, this was a powerful choice that illustrates quite aptly how David saw his life as monochromatic and without vibrancy. Some of the pages have no dialogue whatsoever and I think some of those are the most compelling. A feeling of helplessness and fear is evoked. And to think that David Small didn't see anything particularly interesting in his life story and this book almost didn't get written... Born with poor sinuses to a scientist father it made perfect sense that David would be subjected to the 'latest' innovations in science: the x-ray. This was before it was known that repeated exposure to radiation to that degree on a child that young...you can probably guess what happened. However, communication was so poor in their household that David was ignorant of what was really going on. The name of the book denotes some of the consequences of the actions made by his parents but until you have truly read the book from cover to cover and looked at the emotive images...it's powerful stuff. This is a well-written, beautifully illustrated book that is definitely worth a shot.

Want to have your mind blown? Here's an illustration by David of David illustrating:

Source: davidsmallbooks.com

**If you're interested in buying this book or any books really, you can click here or here. The first will re-direct you to AbeBooks and the second will re-direct you to The Book Depository. These are great websites for purchasing books (AbeBooks carries inexpensive used and out-of-print books and The Book Depository ships free everywhere in the world). Full disclosure: I will receive a commission on all sales made by following either of these links. I wouldn't recommend a site that I didn't use and you are under no obligation to purchase anything. :-) **

Claustrophobia and paranoia OR why I'm now reading a memoir about a kitchen maid

Room is one of those books that will change the way you view the world. What if you had grown up only knowing one room and believing that all you saw on TV was from another planet? What if you were a five year old boy who believe that you and your mother were the only "real" people? I think the author's choice of using the five year old as a narrator was particularly brilliant as the reader got to see Outside in an entirely different light. Donoghue used real cases to build a fictionalized tale about a woman and her son in an impossibly agonizing situation. At times, I had to stop reading just so that I could catch my breath from the intensity and the descriptive power of her words made me feel like I was trapped (probably didn't help that I read a lot of it on the train). I don't want any of this to put you off reading this book though because I thought it was fantastic (even though it ended rather abruptly for my tastes). In fact, I'll be adding some more of this author's books onto my TRL for the future. :-)

I have to admit that this next one caught my eye when one of my favorite bloggers, Jenny Lawson, who you might remember from my review of her book Let's Pretend This Never Happened. She mentioned that she was going to give Below Stairs: The Classic Kitchen Maid's Memoir That Inspired "Upstairs, Downstairs" and "Downton Abbey" by Margaret Powell and it piqued my interest. I find this topic very interesting because I can't imagine living on either side of this divided line. I most certainly wouldn't have been a mistress of a household and I would be a horrendous maid of any kind. What did the "help" really think of their lords and masters? Were they as keen to be of service as they were meant to be by their employers? I suppose that's exactly what I'll be finding out!