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Jackie

Jackie is on a 'leave of absence' in order to care for her mom. We wish her mother all the best, and  we'll catch up when she gets back.

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All Kinds of Kisses (Hardcover)

By Nancy Tafuri
$16.99
ISBN-13: 9780316122351
Availability: Readily available. If this title is not currently in-stock in the store, it is available to ship from the warehouse.
Published: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, 1/2012
Other Editions of this Title

Nancy Tafuri has done it again with the sweet picture book, All Kinds of Kisses. Plus, she also does the illustrating with watercolor paints and pencils. Simple drawings of animals and birds dot the pages and each one is kissed by its Momma.

This book makes a perfect baby shower gift. “There are all kinds of kisses but the best kiss of all…is Mommy’s kiss good night. Sweet dreams, Little One!”

Sarah's Key (Paperback)

By Tatiana de Rosnay
$13.95
ISBN-13: 9780312370848
Availability: Readily available. If this title is not currently in-stock in the store, it is available to ship from the warehouse.
Published: St. Martin's Griffin, 9/2008
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On the New York Times Best Sellers list for many weeks, both in hardcover and now in paperback, Sarah’s Key is a moving and intriguing story that spans 60 decades in Paris. In July 1942, French Police conducted a great roundup of Jewish men, women and children, and held them for days in the Veldrome d’hiver, a large stadium that held races.  No food, water or lavatory facilities were available in the stadium during 4-5 hot July days – unimaginable!  The story then gets worse as they are all transported to a train station and taken from their beloved city of Paris.

Julia Jarmond, the American wife of charming Frenchman Bertrand Tezac, is assigned by her magazine editor to write an article about Vel d’hiv because of the upcoming 60th anniversary of the event.  Information is hard to find but Julia prevails.  She finds that this event was not France’s shining hour and meets resistance from locals.

It is interesting how the story unfolds and how the two periods come together.  Sarah’s Key is a book that is impossible to put down and will make you gasp in horror, but in turn will make you cry with joy.  We are blessed here and now, but we should never forget this time in our past.

Room for a Little One: A Christmas Tale (Hardcover)

By Martin Waddell, Jason Cockcroft
$16.99
ISBN-13: 9780689868412
Availability: Readily available. If this title is not currently in-stock in the store, it is available to ship from the warehouse.
Published: Margaret K. McElderry Books, 10/2004
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This beautifully written and illustrated Christmas story tells of the animals in the stable on a cold winter's night.  Kind Ox is first to welcome Old Dog into his stable to warm himself, saying "there's always room for a little one here."  The story continues until Tired Donkey arrives with Mary and Joseph, who also are welcomed into the warm stable. Jesus is born among the loving animals that cold winter night, beneath the star's light....a Little One came into the world and was welcomed by all.

Each Christmas I read this story to my grandchildren who love to see Kind Ox, Old Dog, Stray Cat and the others as they await the birth of the Baby Jesus.

Birds of Michigan Field Guide (Paperback)

By Stan Tekiela
$12.95
ISBN-13: 9781591930433
Availability: Readily available. If this title is not currently in-stock in the store, it is available to ship from the warehouse.
Published: Adventure Publications(MN), 5/2004
Other Editions of this Title

This handy pocket bird guide is ideal to take out into the field while bird watching. Conveniently divided into sections by the color of the bird, it makes identification simple.

 

Each bird is described in detail with size, eggs, incubation, food types and migration. Stan includes interesting points in helping to share information with readers.  There is also a section describing the differences in males, females and fledging. This is an excellent guide and stocking stuffer idea.

Comfort & Joy (Hardcover)

By Kristin Hannah
$16.00
ISBN-13: 9780345483676
Availability: Readily available. If this title is not currently in-stock in the store, it is available to ship from the warehouse.
Published: Ballantine Books, 11/2011
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Kristin Hannah is one of my favorite authors, and in Comfort and Joy she does not disappoint me.  In fact, she makes me believe that sometimes there really are miracles. 

 

The story is set in the Pacific Northwest as Joy Candellaro faces her first Christmas as a divorcee, betrayed by her ex-husband and sister.  Unable to find her usual “Christmas spirit”, she hops on a plane to Washington.  Unlikely events occur that make Joy learn more about herself, forgiveness and love.

 

A young boy and his father face their first Christmas alone after the death of the boy’s mother.  A chance meeting brings their world and Joy’s together.

 

Sweet and poignant, a feel-good read for the holiday season.

Covenant (Hardcover)

By Dean Crawford
$24.99
ISBN-13: 9781451628531
Availability: Readily available. If this title is not currently in-stock in the store, it is available to ship from the warehouse.
Published: Touchstone, 10/2011
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This first novel by Dean Crawford is a thriller/sci-fi read.  Covenant takes the reader from the deserts of Israel, to Chicago, to Washington D.C. and back again in search of answers to what was found at a “dig” in the Negev Desert and how it is of interest to a powerful pastor in D.C.  Ethan Warner, former war correspondent puts life and limb on the line to find the abducted anthropologist and answers.

This book reminds me of Robin Cook or Michael Crichton since it is even part medical thriller.  It is also intriguing with its questions about Nephilim, or fallen angels, being unearthed in the desert after 7,000 years (or is it an alien?).  It is thought-provoking with unusual views about war and religion. I look forward to Mr. Crawford’s next work. 

Go Ask Alice (Paperback)

By Anonymous
$9.99
ISBN-13: 9781416914631
Availability: Readily available. If this title is not currently in-stock in the store, it is available to ship from the warehouse.
Published: Simon Pulse, 12/2005
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Go Ask Alice has been on the Banned Books List for many years, so it piqued my interest.  As a young adult in the 1970s when this book was set, I found the premise even more interesting.  YIKES!  The story touted to be the real diary of a naïve 15-year-old girl from a good, loving family who begins drug use by accident.

A group of kids at a friend’s house start a game of “Button, Button, Who’s Got the Button?”  Unknown to our writer, the button is LSD placed in a soda  and given to a random person in the group.  Friends hang out and watch to observe who got the button as the “trip” begins, and they babysit that person.  YIKES! And YIKES! This starts her journey into drug use and addiction.

Throughout the diary, it shows how this girl spirals into drug use and shows her remorse, her quitting and restarting drugs.  She is an insecure kid who is looking for something that does not exist.  Her family is tormented when she disappears but brings her back into their loving arms when she returns.

This book has always been controversial because its authenticity has been challenged.  Is it really non-fiction, a diary written by an unknown 15 year old, or is it written by an adult as a work of fiction?  Either way, does it matter?  It is a terrible account of what life was or could have been for a teenage girl.

Encyclopedia of Dog Breeds (Hardcover)

By D. Caroline Coile, Michele Earle-Bridges, Michele Earle-Bridges
$29.99
ISBN-13: 9780764157004
Availability: Readily available. If this title is not currently in-stock in the store, it is available to ship from the warehouse.
Published: Barron's Educational Series, 4/2005
This comprehensive book thoroughly reviews more than 150 breeds of dog in all of the seven groups. With amazing pictures of each breed along with the AKC ranking, family, area and date of origin, original function and today's function plus other names for the breed, this book gives all the information one would need to make an informed decision when choosing either a pet or show animal. Another feature is the illustrated standard for the breed. The book is divided into section per group designation, such as Sporting Group, and gives specific details on health issues, ease of training, upkeep and temperament. The author provides easy to follow chapters and guidelines. I especially like that many of the photographs show the dogs in motion. It must be time for Jackie to consider a new puppy…

You Deserve Nothing (Hardcover)

By Alexander Maksik
$15.00
ISBN-13: 9781609450489
Availability: Readily available. If this title is not currently in-stock in the store, it is available to ship from the warehouse.
Published: Europa Editions, 8/2011
Alexander Maksik writes You Deserve Nothing in the voices of three of the main characters: Will, Gilad and Marie.  The story is set in Paris at the International School of France where students of privilege attend.  They are worldly but also naive in many respects and are from the U.S., Dubai, and Tokyo.

English teacher, extraordinaire Will Silver teaches 10th grade English and Senior Seminar.  Everyone loves him and wants to be in his class, especially for Seminar because he stretches and challenges his students to be free thinkers and broaden their horizons through writers like Sartre, Kierkegaard and Camus.  He is also handsome and charming and all the girls want him.  Mr. Silver’s students have their first tastes of freedom and learn much in their year with him; there are also lessons Mr. Silver learns, too.

I enjoy how the story develops and how intricately the characters are interwoven. I could almost hear noise of the Paris streets.

10 Mindful Minutes: Giving Our Children--and Ourselves--the Social and Emotional Skills to Reduce Stress and Anxiety for Healthi (Hardcover)

By Goldie Hawn, Daniel J. Siegel
$24.00
ISBN-13: 9780399536069
Availability: Readily available. If this title is not currently in-stock in the store, it is available to ship from the warehouse.
Published: Perigee Trade, 9/2011
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Goldie Hawn, with her Hawn Foundation and a notable host of doctors, psychologists and others, presents a guide for helping children learn social and emotional skills to reduce stress and anxiety throughout their lives.  This guide can even be helpful to us as humans, parents, grandparents and caregivers.

“Mind Up” is a program developed by Hawn’s foundation that, combined with 10 Mindful Minutes, shows guidelines for helping understand the brain, how it works and how each child/person is different.  It explains that the brain’s largest growth is from birth through age 6 but does not fully complete growth until 24.  Children up to 8 years old are primarily driven by their right brain, which guides emotions. Soon after, the right and left hemisphere begin to work together and kids begin to understand being part of the world.  Therefore, it is no longer “all about me!”

Using techniques for mindfulness in breathing, thinking, tasting and seeing, children can learn to cope with fear, anger, bullying and much more.  As empathy develops, children learn how their feelings can be harmful to themselves and others.

When following the steps of 10 Mindful Minutes, you may have a kinder, gentler child and self.

When She Woke (Hardcover)

By Hillary Jordan
$24.95
ISBN-13: 9781565126299
Availability: Readily available. If this title is not currently in-stock in the store, it is available to ship from the warehouse.
Published: Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill, 10/2011
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It is a time in the not too distant future; Hannah Payne wakes to find herself in a sterile cell, her body a bright scarlet red. She has been imprisoned for 6 weeks and melachromed for 16 years for her crime of abortion, further complicated when she refuses to name the person who performed the procedure.
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When Hannah is released back into society as a “Chrome”, she is ridiculed and scorned. The world discriminates against her and her “kind”.  Raised in an extremely religious home, she is disowned by her family for her sins.
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This United States is run more by the church than traditional government. A new take on Hawthorne’s Scarlet Letter, this story takes a closer look at our way of life. It makes us aware of church versus state, Roe versus Wade and women’s reproductive rights, or lack thereof.  It is a scary reminder of what could be.

Fifth Avenue, 5 A.M.: Audrey Hepburn, Breakfast at Tiffany's, and the Dawn of the Modern Woman (Paperback)

By Sam Wasson
$13.99
ISBN-13: 9780061774164
Availability: Readily available. If this title is not currently in-stock in the store, it is available to ship from the warehouse.
Published: Harper Perennial, 9/2011
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People of all ages have come to love Audrey Hepburn and know her as the “kooky” Holly Golightly from the classic movie, Breakfast at Tiffany’s.  We all envied her sophisticated look in the “little black dress” that has come to be the go-to wardrobe item for women everywhere. All wanted the elegant simplicity Miss Hepburn displayed.

Fifth Avenue, 5 A.M., Audrey Hepburn, Breakfast at Tiffany’s and the Dawn of the Modern Woman, delves into the people surrounding the movie: Truman Capote, novelist; Blake Edwards, director; Hubert deGivenchy, designer, and many more.  It is interesting to see how each had his/her own agenda and how the movie almost wasn’t even made.

The 1950s was a time of conservative morals, and the movie pushed the envelope in that respect.  This book was a joy to read and very eye opening.  It certainly makes me want to watch Breakfast at Tiffany’s again.

The Buddha in the Attic (Hardcover)

By Julie Otsuka
$22.00
ISBN-13: 9780307700001
Availability: Readily available. If this title is not currently in-stock in the store, it is available to ship from the warehouse.
Published: Knopf, 8/2011
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The Buddha in the Attic begins in the early 1900s aboard a ship as Japanese women, some as young as 14, travel from to San Francisco as mail-order brides. Their lives in Japan had been good but their future uncertain, so many were sent to America for a “better life”. On board, they share pictures of their future husbands and talk about their hopes and dreams. When the boat docks and they meet their husbands, the women find little resemblance between these men and their photographs. Thus begins their lives in America.

Their lives are now filled with long days of hard work in the fields of California. They pick fruits and vegetables, moving with the crops. This life, like their husbands, bears little resemblance to the lives promised in the letters they received. These women are small in stature but big in pride and stamina. They work side-by-side with their husbands, facing scorn and ridicule from locals. They raised their children, kept their homes and continued their hard work. The language was difficult for them to learn. They felt isolated only spending time with others like themselves.

War II and Pearl Harbor occurred and placed the Japanese, although U.S. citizens for 40+ years, in harm’s way. In reading The Buddha in the Attic, I wondered how Americans could be so unfeeling and not help their neighbors. This time in history remains a sore spot for Americans. Julie Otsuka told us a moving story. Although it is a work of fiction, it is strongly based on facts of American history.

Bear's Loose Tooth (Hardcover)

By Karma Wilson, Jane Chapman
$16.99
ISBN-13: 9781416958550
Availability: Readily available. If this title is not currently in-stock in the store, it is available to ship from the warehouse.
Published: Margaret K. McElderry Books, 8/2011
Other Editions of this Title

The team of Wilson and Chapman bring our friend Bear back again with Bear’s Loose Tooth.

With Karma Wilson’s catchy rhyming and Jane Chapman’s sweet illustrations, we follow Bear and his delightful friends Mouse, Hare, Gopher, Badger, Mole, Raven, Wren and Owl through the dilemma of his first loose tooth. “As Bear nibbled his food, something moved as he chewed! It was Bear’s loose tooth!” Everyone takes a turn helping Bear remove his pesky tooth. When the tooth is finally out, something else develops: another loose tooth!

This charming book is a wonderful addition to the other Bear books. I have the whole collection and my grandchildren always insist on reading all of them in one sitting, to my great pleasure, of course.