lit*chick

Ten on Tuesday: Haiti booklist

1.  I don't have anything new to add to the Help for Haiti online movement. It goes without saying these are desperate and heartbreaking times for the Haitian people who faced daily struggles before the quake. I would like to encourage readers to learn more about the country and it's people. And books are always a way to bring some of Haiti into your heart and home.

2.  Mountains Beyond Mountains by Tracy Kidder - Highlighting the work of Dr. Paul Farmer, cofounder of Partners in Health, who has been working in and for Haiti for the last 20 plus years.  Tracy Kidder has the ability to succinctly capture not just the man, but his surroundings. And for timeliness and relevance it is my spot on pick. My bookclub read this last fall and it was a wonderful discussion. An example of reading out of my regular comfort zone for which I am thankful. I urge you to grab a copy soon.

3. On That Day, Everybody Ate: One Woman's Story of Hope and Possibility in Haiti by Margaret Trost - this is the next one on my list. Written by the woman who began the What If Foundation, focused on feeding the hungry in Haiti.

4.    The Magic Orange Tree and other Haitian Folktales by Diana Wolkstein - A carryover from my homeschooling days - whenever we learned about a new culture or country we'd get the accompanying folktales. They are always helpful to compare about

5.     Circles of Hope by Karen Lynn Williams -  Facile plants a mango tree for his new baby sister, carrying on a Haitian tradition. See also her book Tap-Tap about market day.

6.  Selavi, That is Life: A Haitian Story of Hope by Youme Landowne  - A book noted for it's realism about a homeless boy and other street children. The first sentence "People with guns could take a family, burn a house, and disappear, leaving a small child alone in the world."

7.   Bel Peyi Mwen: A Children's Coloring Book of Haiti by Kristopher Battles - We are big on coloring books around here. I'd like to get this one for Owen's class.

8.   Taste of Salt: A Story of Modern Haiti by Frances Temple - for older readers, about 17 year old Djo during the rule of Aristide.

9.  Running the Road to ABC by Denise Lauture  ilus. Reynold Ruffins- I have a particular fondness for ABC books - this one follows Haitian children on their way to school. These illustrations are fabulous and remind me of Faith Ringgold's folksy books.

10.  Toussaint L'Ouverture: The Fight for Haiti's Freedom by Walter Dean Myers illus. Jacob Lawrence -1791 rebellion accompanied by Lawrence's paintings from the 1930s. Middle grades suggested.

The End.

Nanny Returns by Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus

Nanny Returns by Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus

After marrying the "Harvard Hottie" (see book 1) and living abroad with him for the last 10 years Nanny is back in NYC. She dreads crossing paths with the X family - her former employers. Which should be easy since she is plenty busy consulting for an exclusive private school - full of faculty and families just like the Xs - and trying to renovate an old brownstone while her husband is working out of town. But when Grayson, now 16, shows up at her door she is sucked back in to the lives of Mr & Mrs. X, Grayson and his little brother, getting way in over her head.

Let's just say I my expectations were fairly low, and I'm still disappointed.  I found it difficult to believe she lived all over the world, appears to have married a sensible guy, and upon her return we find her experiences have taught her nothing and she responds much like her younger self in most situations. She is consulting for a prep school, with a board full of ridiculousness - exactly the type of people she is trying to avoid, but cannot because they are paying her $300 an hour. And she dreaded running into Grayson, but becomes involved in his life to the point of making me uncomfortable.  Her observations of the uber-wealthy are both funny and sad, the way that shallowness can be first amusing then pathetic. Even though I was frustrated that Nan hadn't quite grown up, her inner musings were familiar and consistent with her character from the first book.

With reading time at a premium, I can't recommend this one. Although I don't blame you for being curious, especially if you read the first book.  I have The Nanny Diaries (no.1) to give away to the first person who asks.

Other reviews found here:

Booking Mama

Write Meg

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Regardless of my opinion about the book,  I am ever grateful to receive review copies. This one came from Dana at Engleman & Co. Thank you.

Also, I am an Amazon Affiliate - if you buy anything linked through this site, I receive a few pennies to support my reading habit. So thank you.

Ten on Tuesday:

1. I'm already a week behind here, hopefully they won't kick me out of the 10 on Tuesday club. :)

2. Am I also behind on my photo a week? Well, I'll stick it here. Jill is documenting baby E every Friday. And in order to have plenty of material for their wedding slide show, ahem, Evie will come alongside. Her pics will be in an album somewhere on the side...

3.  No the string is not wrapped around her neck. Although, her neck may have been sore later from staying at that angle for so long.  Not a milestone that I usually document, but it is Evie's first encounter with a balloon. Cool, huh?

4. For those of you worried about her lack of hair...we have a history of bald babies here (including me) who now enjoy the opposite - too much hair. So there is hope for our E.

5. The brothers are still smitten. And she really only belly laughs for them.

6. I am on a publisher's list....the wrong list. They continue to send me smutty books with half naked people on the cover. I have kindly asked them to stop sending them. Sometimes "because it sells" isn't a good enough answer.

7. Caleb's teacher is getting married in a few months. The class is so excited - did your teacher ever get married during the school year? It's a neat thing to behold.

8. Last week, Karl took me to the Newseum. I had been wanting to go for a while - and it was awesome. Try going on a cold Tuesday - there were only a handful of people there. Growing up in the DC area, our local news was national news and I didn't realize until we went on vacation one year that everyone didn't watch NBC4 with Jim and Doreen. But there is so much more here...put it on your list.

This is a view from the terrace onto Pennsylvania Ave... I believe the red roof building is the Federal Trade Commission. and just beyond it, on the right, the National Archives. On the left, the Pencil and the Museum of Natural History (the domed building).

9. Our household is getting ready for something big. And it isn't another baby. More later. ;)

10. I'm off to clean before our beloved cleaning lady arrives. Cleaning for the cleaning lady, I know I'm not the only one.

The End.

PS If you are doing 10 on Tuesday also....link to it in the comments -listmakers unite!

When She Flew by Jennie Shortridge

When She Flew by Jennie Shortridge, 352 pages.

Jessica Villareal is a police officer who works hard to follow the rules, at work and in life. It hasn't always paid off - she's divorced and her daughter chose to live with her ex.  When she becomes involved in the case of a troubled Iraq vet and his little girl discovered living in the Oregon woods, she must make a choice between doing things by the book or following her heart.

An enjoyable read, slightly predictable but moves quickly. I disagree with some of the other reviewers who thought the story would have been better served by more background on the vet and his family. This, I think, is an example of keeping the main thing, the main thing -  What will Jessica do in this situation? And what will it cost her?  I believe Jennie Shortridge's talent comes in giving the reader just enough information to relate to the characters but still keep their thoughts and actions fresh. And she keeps it simple, which I like. 

This is a safe one to add to your list, when you need a little reading pick-me-up. Or when you need a quick, yet solid story that isn't the reading equivalent of the drive-thru window at McDonalds.I also enjoyed her book Eating Heaven. But take comfort in knowing there are a couple others I can count on when I'm in a lull - Riding with the Queen and Love and Biology at the Center of the Universe.

More reviews can be found here:

Educating Petunia

TLC Book Tours - list with links

author website: www.jennieshortridge.com

The End.

My review copy was provided by Joan Schulhafer Publishing and Media Consulting. Many thanks.

Happy New Year...Let's Look Ahead

The dudes are finally back at school and the hubs started a new job today. I'm planning to put away the Christmas decorations and Evie is planning to continue in cuteness.  I have a lot of plans for you and me too, but here is the month ahead on lit*chick...

• A new feature - see the Tidying Up the Stacks sidebar?  Those are books I am giving away...just request one (or all) and I'll be happy to send them to you. Some I've read, some I haven't but they are taking up valuable shelf space and need a new home.

• Blog Talk Radio - Nicole from Linus's Blanket will be interviewing me on February 2nd for That's How I Blog. Besides q&a, we'll be discussing The Unit - if you get a chance to read it, we can have a little audio bookclub. More details to follow...I'm really excited to participate in this fun book blogger interview series. 

• Reviews:

            When She Flew by Jennie Shortridge (and an interview, fingers crossed)

            Nanny Returns by Nicola Kraus & Emma McLaughlin

            The Glass Room by Simon Mawer

            They Found Him Dead by Georgette Heyer

• I plan to regularly participate in 10 on Tuesdays - I'm a listmaker at heart.

And a few other updates:

Congratulations to annechovie, friend to this blog and gifted artist - one of her fabulous chair prints can be seen (i saw it and shrieked in recognition)in the movie It's Complicated. Read more about it here.

My December Daily project totally bit the dust. I had no printer ink and lost steam after the first week...I don't think I'm capable of doing anything daily, except reading and drinking coffee.

I've started taking Elizabeth's Inspiration Defined class at Big Picture Scrapbooking - I think you can still sign up until midnight TONIGHT. And I am enjoying having a no pressure creative outlet. So what are you waiting for?

I am still thinking through my reading goals for this year...I read 110 books last year. Some great, most okay. So I'm definitely looking to improve the quality (my constant struggle). I'm also looking to streamline the review process so I can talk about everything I read, quickly. Because really, don't you just want to know if you should bother or not?

If you haven't already noticed, I am trying to respond to most of your comments in the comments section, in case you wondered why you haven't gotten emails lately....

Thanks to all who read and check in here - especially you regulars. I know it's easy to get lost online, and I always appreciate those who stop here.

The End.