The Chathrand is a queen among ships; immense, six hundred years old, carrying over a thousand people, the stage on which political conspiracies and magics are being played out. On board is young Thasha Isiq, the daughter of a general and ambassador of the Arqual, sent as a Treaty Bride to forge peace between her [...]
Category Archive for 'reviews'
My name is Kvothe, pronounced nearly the same as “quothe.” Names are important as they tell you a great deal about a person. I’ve had more names than anyone has a right to. The Adem call me Maedre. Which, depending on how it’s spoken, can mean The Flame, The Thunder, or The Broken Tree. So [...]
Made to Stick: Review
Posted in reviews on Jan 25th, 2010
Why do some ideas go viral while others disappear with nary a ripple? Why do urban legends and conspiracy theories make it halfway around the world before more worthy messages can even get their boots on? In this offering, brothers Chip and Dan Heath unpack what makes some ideas memorable, or “sticky”. The authors found [...]
I discovered Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson in December, one of my most exciting book finds of the year. It has an awesome premise (what if the prophesied hero failed to defeat the Great Evil?), an original and very cool magic system and appealing characters. It has adventure and romance, sacrifice and danger, armies and heists, [...]
I may not have blogged much in October, but I sure made it through a lot of books! I attribute this partially to the fact we moved the baby out of our room and into his own, thus allowing me to read in bed again. But only partially. I just like books a whole lot. [...]
Picture Books: Exploring Down Under
Posted in kids at play, picture books on Sep 16th, 2009
(Artwork inspired by aboriginal dot paintings by Miss M and Sir I) Wombat Stew by Marcia K. Vaughan and Pamela Lofts: One day, a very clever dingo catches a wombat and sets about making wombat stew, with a little help from the other animals. Fear not for the wombat, though! My kids loved this one [...]
August was yet another low-volume reading month. Writing, planning school, doing school, looking after my brood and occasionally doing a load of laundry and sweeping a floor or two should leave me hours and hours to devote to pleasure reading, right? Right? Ha. Okay, so I did read three books. Ta-da! Here they are: Ship [...]
Picture Books: Mapping
Posted in kids at play, picture books on Aug 18th, 2009
Sir I. loves maps. World maps, treasure maps, road maps, atlases and globes. I got a kick out of his commentary on our road atlas yesterday in the van: “Wow, look, I found Florida! And the north part of Kentucky!” (Yes, this kid managed to decode the world Kentucky all by himself, too). Half a [...]
So, er, I must’ve spent all month watching Battlestar Galactica or goofing off or something, because I only have two books in my reading roundup for July: In Darkness Hid by Jill Williamson and Teatime for the Traditionally Built by Alexander McCall Smith. The McCall Smith books fill a need in me for a place [...]
Around the World in Five Picture Books
Posted in kids at play, picture books on Jul 31st, 2009
A list of our favorite picture books about globe-trotting and different cultures: How to Make an Apple Pie and See the World by Marjorie Priceman: This whimsical book chronicles a global quest for the finest ingredients for an apple pie. We like it especially because it includes a stop in Vermont for apples. Great to [...]