Harriet M. Welsch is such a gem. I’ve read both of these books, particularly Harriet the Spy, many, many times in my life because I so enjoy spending a little time with her. They both focus on Harriet (11 in Harriet the Spy, 12 in The Long Secret), a sixth-grader at an exclusive private school in New York City. She wants to be a writer someday, and has an insatiable curiosity that she feeds by writing down everything she observes in her notebook. She has […]
When the art flies off the page
Red and Lulu is another book that is deeply set in the true Christmas spirit. It is about love and family and the joy of the holiday. There is information about the history of Rockefeller Center and the Tree that stands in the center of it at the end of the book. Matt Tavares has great text and even better illustrations telling his story. The art is a 5 and the text a solid 4 rating. (Spoiler) When Red and Lulu are separated the reality […]
Flight of the Barflies
This was a tough call between 3 and 4 stars. Gonna lean on the side of 4 because I think this book has a lot going for it even if it is an exhausting read at times. I read George Pelecanos’ Nick Stefanos series last year. Had I read it in my 20s, I probably would have loved the notion of a bartender-cum-PI who lives a loner life. I still enjoy going out and having a good time even now I’m my 30s, though I […]
The Truth About Cats and Werewolves
I’ve been in the mood for classic horror paperbacks lately. I recently read Whitley Strieber’s Hunger trilogy and liked the first book, so thought I’d try two more of his earlier works. His first book. The Wolfen, was written in 1978. It follows two New York City police officers, Rebecca Neff and George Wilson, who try to solve a seemingly unsolvable case — the brutal attack of two fellow officers. All the signs seem to point to an animal attack, but not just any ordinary animal. […]
A Collection of Entertaining Postmodern “Mystery” Novel(s).
I stumbled onto this book because I was chatting up an acquaintance and I mentioned I was into hard-boiled mysteries. He said, “Oh, you might like The New York Trilogy“. In retrospect, that’s like saying, “Oh, you like the show Friends? You might also like the movie Requiem for a Dream. It also has stuff about friends and family dynamics!” This is…different than what I had in mind. The only other way to talk about this book is to talk about talking about this book. […]
Vacation Time
One of my jobs at the bookstore is to help with our Book of the Month Club. I get to read, I mean wrap the books. Okay, yes, I read them, too, especially when it is a picture book. And the other day I found Goldfish on Vacation by Sally Lloyd-Jones. This yellow covered book illustrated by Leo Espinosa had me thinking, “Ho-hum another fish gets to take a walk around the block with its human friends.” Um…. nope. Not exactly…. While the three fish […]