Aquisitions: Amazon / Dollar Store

A Great and Terrible Love: A Spiritual Journey into the Attributes of God by Mark Galli

Little Big Man by Thomas Berger

Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford

The Divine Hours: Prayers for Springtime by Phyllis Tickle

The Divine Hours: Prayers for Summertime by Phyllis Tickle

The Divine Hours: Prayers for Autumn and Wintertime by Phyllis Tickle

In the Mailbox is meme created by The Story Siren.

Review: Whittington by Alan Armstrong

Synopsis: This novel interweaves animal fantasy and family story with a retelling of the English folktale Dick Whittington and His Cat. A battered tomcat named Whittington arrives one late-fall day at a New England barn, where he gradually befriends the equally ragtag group of animals already adopted by the barn's taciturn but soft-hearted owner, Bernie. When the year's first big snowstorm traps the bored animals in the barn, Whittington begins telling the story of his namesake, Dick Whittington, to an audience that grows to include Bernie's parentless grandchildren. The feline continues the story as winter grinds on, and the children and animals together absorb Dick's tale of good fortune, which he earned through trust in the advice of his dear friend, a remarkable cat, and his own hard work and struggles. The tale parallels that of Ben, Bernie's grandson, who learns to read once he trusts the advice of his friends and takes extra classes to help him overcome his dyslexia (From the back of the book)

Roughts: I enjoyed this book. The animals were well done characters, the prose strong and simple, the story engaging. I like the story in a story concept and the historical aspect was rich in detail without being overwhelming or dry. The author did immense research and it should in the accuracy and adventure. Side note, I'm always a sucker for books that promote reading. Of course.

Booksmarks: 7 of 10

Awards: Newbery Honor 2006

Date Finished: 2-5-2011
Pages: 191

Aquisitions: Goodwill-C Thift Shop

I'm still haunting the thrift stores for items for a party, and I always stop at the book section. I wasn't suppose to buy anything, February being a book-free month, but that is going to be impossible. I have a Bithday Trip to B&N and several thrift shopping days coming up. I am pushing off the book-free month until perhasp April. or June. Maybe September.

Anyway, this is what I bought:

Christmas After All: The Great Depression Diary of Minnie Swift
by Kathryn Lansky (Dear America Series)

A Light in the Storm: The Civil War Diary of Amelia Martin
by Karen Hesse (Dear America Series)

Brooklyn Bridge by Karen Hesse

In the Mailbox is meme created by The Story Siren.

Review: The Personal Heresy: A Controversy by C.S. Lewis and E.M.W. Tillyard

Synopsis: In his brilliant essay The Personal Heresy in Criticism, Lewis attacked the widely held belief that poetry is, or should be, the expression of the poet's personality. His attempt to supplant this assumption with an objective or impersonal theory of poetry was challenged by Dr. Tillyard whose interpretation of Paradise Lost he had called into question. So began a courteous but searching series of exchanges between two of the most learned and original scholar-critics of their day. This controversy sheds invaluable light on a problem as complex as it is central to the understanding and appreciation of poetry. (From the back of the book)

Roughts: I read this for my Lewis reading project. It must be understood that while Lewis' Christian works are something I can grasp, his literary works are far above my intelligence level and I often completely miss the point. I had precisely that trouble with this work. It's brilliant, intense and amusing at points, but I didn't understand most of what they were talking about. I can see if one was a poetry or literary scholar, this work would have immense value, but as a lay person with little to no training in this area, I was lost.

Bookmarks: 6 of 10

Awards: none

Date Finished: 2-5-2011
Pages: 150

Review: Penny from Heaven by Jennifer L. Holm

Synopsis: Penny Falucci lives with her mother and grandparents, but close to her dead father's large Italian family. The summer of 1953, the summer she turns 12 her life changes - her mother starts dating the milkman, her arm gets caught in a washing wringer and she finally confronts her family about her father's death.

Roughts: This is an excellent book. The daily life of Penny, her questions, confusions, joy and growth are seemlessly woven into the larger picture of life after WWII, the idea of Italians in America and the presecution they faced during the war, the ideas of what makes a family, secrets, grief, guilt and healing. Having married into an Italian family myself, I laughed at several of the scenes. Being the product of a broken home, I understood Penny's concern at her mother moving on. Over all, I found this book to be like a plate of rich lasagna - warm, satisifing and worth every minute.

Booksmarks: 8 of 10

Awards: Newbery Honor 2007

Date Finished: 2-4-2011

Pages: 274

Review: Show Way by Jacqueline Woodson, ill. by Hudson Talbot

Synopsis: This is the story of a line of African-American women who sew Showway quilts, quilts that have pictures and symbols of the moon, stars and roads that show the way from the slave states to the free states. This line starts with the author's grandmother's grandmother's grandmother, who first taught her daughter to sew the quilts. It is a simple picture book, told in poetry.

Roughts: First, the pictures in this book are fantastic. They are draw to resemble quilts, but with vibrant color and movement. I got lost in the pictures and forget the words. That being said, the words themselves are poetical and have a sing-song rhythm. They make use of the vernacular of the African-American experience. The simplicity of the work only adds to the message - the idea of heritage, of family wisdom, of the connection we have to our past and the strength it can give us for the future. I have personal knowledge of this, as my mother quilts and my grandmother quilts. I have quilts from both of them and they are more then just bedclothes. There is a connection, a reminder of the love they have for me and the strength they bequeathed to me. I hope someday to quilt for my children.

Bookmarks: 7 of 10

Awards: Newbery Honor 2006

Date Finished: 2-4-2011
Pages: 22

Ramble: Book Shelf Love

I amused myself by googling bookshelves and book nooks, saving favorite imagines and scheming how to get my husband to consent to convert our house into a library. I have many favorites. Today's is the one below:

Secret Room + Books = AWESOME
Oh, I covet so much.