Active Discussion Groups
Book Reviews
-
Most recent post :
-
Debomama
Brilliant review by brilliant book mama...sniff!
(from GREAT MEMORIES: Book MAMA's April Pick For Moms)on 04/02/12Share your opinion
-
-
click to order now
Why are bad things so much worse at Christmas? For some reason there is this almost innate desire in us parent types to have that traditional, Norman Rockwell-esque picture perfect holiday with the cozy fire, nuclear family, big dog on the rug, carolers at the door, steaming cider in mugs. Anything short of that is somehow utterly depressing. So even if one were perfectly content with a sort of avant garde life style or thrilled to pieces 364 days a year with his or her independent and free-wheeling nomadic existence, Christmas day might be the one day that that may suddenly not seem like enough. So that means even a good life can seem bad at Christmas. You take a crummy aspect of your life: maybe a divorce, some drunk in your extended family, an ill mannered child—and suddenly that aspect of your life becomes just glaringly...
- Get the whole review & share your opinion
-
click to order now
We were having dinner at my mother-in-laws the other night. Her ice maker has been on the fritz, and she lives alone so she had just been using her old ice trays rather than call a repairman. She was helping my daughters get some cranberry juice—on the rocks—of course, and was popping the ice casually out of the trays while she was talking over their heads to me. We both realized at the same time that both kids had gone utterly silent and were TRANSFIXED by the ice tray.
“Oh my gosh, what is that?”
“How do you do that?”
“Is that real ice?
“How did it get in there?”
“Where did you get that?”
“Mom, how come we don’t have one of those?”
Okay, these are the same kids who have i-pods, i-pads, nanos, shuffles, DS, laptops and God knows what else. All their homework and classroom information is on-line. They make movies of...
- Get the whole review & share your opinion
-
click to order now
Yesterday was a rare rainy California day. We went to a matinee and saw Secretariat—fun for the whole family, right? It was fine, great, everyone loved it—laughed, cried, fell in love all over again—the whole bit. Only kidding…I was the only one with tears of joyous excitement streaming down my face at the end. As if I didn’t know how it ended. I mean, what the heck? That’s like being surprised by the ending of Titanic. Wow, that was super sad! Actually, I don’t know what was going on—probably some hormonal thing. But I do love a good race. And I love a good underdog story. That Rocky music still kills me. AND there was a little side story to the main story of the horse. It was the story of a mother and a daughter in the early 70’s. And I really think that’s what got me all wound up. Diane Lane was fabulous. Ladd...
- Get the whole review & share your opinion
-
click to order now
I’ll never forget one of my first freshmen English sections in college. The teacher—probably a grad student—went around the table asking each of us which character in fiction we wanted to be and why. I was horrified and petrified and the truth was I really wanted to be one of the Sweet Valley High Twins but I knew I couldn’t say that. It had to be something literary and scholarly and so forth. I wound up saying “Jo” from Little Women which I hadn’t even read. Stupid answer. I mean, Jo’s great and all, but I was trying to fulfill too many peoples’ expectations at once. My peers—need to be cool, my professor—need to sound smart. God, there are so many better answers.
But the only answer given that day that stuck in my wee brain was this one: Wilbur from Charlotte’s web. The girl who said this was a really cute...
- Get the whole review & share your opinion
-
click to order now
I have to be honest. I am not a big fan of Halloween—the actual day with the trick or treating and all that. One of my daughters has tremendous angst over costume selection and changes her mind 5 thousand times every year. I did manage to talk her out of going as a taco this year. Not that I had any personal objections to dressing as a Mexican food staple and her father thought it was a hoot; I just knew in my heart of hearts that when it came time for the school parade, she was not going to be happy with that choice. My other daughter is a complete and total ‘fraidy cat so we are constantly on the look-out for scary masks and decorations in the weeks leading up to the big day. She forces herself to trick or treat even though her stress level as we walk around the neighborhood is sky high because she’s convinced there are...
- Get the whole review & share your opinion
-
click to order now
This riveting, harrowing novel has been receiving 5 star reviews from just about everyone. It’s on the short list for the Man Booker Literary prize, and got raves from the New York Times. I do agree with these reviews, which is why it’s my recommendation, but it’s not an easy read. Don’t misunderstand, the narrator is a 5 year old boy, so no, it’s not difficult to understand intellectually, it’s just brutal and painful to read as a human being and especially as a mother.
The novel’s premise comes from something we read and hear about too often in the news: a woman has been abducted and kept in a converted garden shed measuring 12 x 12 for 7 years. During this time, her captor and serial rapist has fathered her child who has been born and lived his entire life within the confines of this ROOM. The story begins on Jack’s 5th...
- Get the whole review & share your opinion
-
click to order now
Description: Julianne Moore makes her literary debut with Freckleface Strawberry, a darling and delightfully illustrated laugh-out-loud story of a young girl learning to love the skin she's in.
- Get the whole review & share your opinion
-
click to order now
I just spent a week on vacation with my parents, all 3 of my sisters, all 4 husbands, and all the grandkids—13 kids in all. It was pretty ideal in that we were in a hotel with a bunch of rooms—so you could retreat if you needed to—but the bulk of each day was spent on the beach with the whole group—playing in the sand and swimming in the ocean. The age range of the kids went from twins at 7 months old to the oldest granddaughter from my sister’s first marriage who is going on 19. She had a friend with her, so they did their own thing, but to their credit, they did come over to the daily kid party and helped dig the big holes. The only sitters that came along on the trip were for the twins—otherwise the moms handled the kids—sometimes swapping kids based on activities, and a couple nights we hired hotel nannies so all the grownups...
- Get the whole review & share your opinion
-
click to order now
If, in fact, I ever had “the talk” with my parents, I have no memory of it whatsoever. I have a very vague memory of my friend, Jane, telling me about “periods” in the 3rd grade at recess. I didn’t believe a word of it. Then in 4th grade, a new girl came to school and for some reason, she had all the dish, and she seemed so worldy and fabulous—she had an awesome Dorothy Hamill haircut—that the rest of us took every word as gospel. So then the rest of the details, I sort of learned via osmosis from books, I guess, and friends. Thank God for Judy Blume. What would we have done without Are You There God It’s Me, Margaret and Forever?
One of my BFF’s got her period in the 5th grade, and we all piled in the bathroom with her to talk her through it. No one wanted bras then, even though our uniforms required us to wear clingy white...
- Get the whole review & share your opinion
-
click to order now
Review from www.childcareexchange.com
"This book captures, shares, and sparks the continuation of conversations initiated at the inaugural Working Forum for Teacher Educators in Auckland, New Zealand. Vibrant, challenging, and inspiring conversations at the Working Forum have led to the bringing together of this book with the intention of continuing professional dialogues and of adding voices to the growing global commitment to early childhood teacher education.
The Working Forum for Teacher Educators began conversations with a wealth of experienced voices from around the world. What better place to start the conversations than with the tapestry of voices, thoughts, and experiences that came together on these days. This book is for all student teachers, teacher educators, and early childhood professionals who choose to share in, and...
- Get the whole review & share your opinion
-
click to order now
The minute I finished this book, I literally almost went right back to the beginning and started again. It’s that good and amazing and funny and sad and TRUE TO LIFE! Even though I hate the term “beach read” –this is the greatest beach read ever because it’s so well, READABLE. Nicholls is truly a MASTER of his craft. I’m willing to bet that there are thousands of writers in the world right now that wish they had written this book. It has been a long time since I have experienced characters that are so multi-dimensional and so “fleshed out” as they say. I miss them terribly already.
The construct or concept is simple. We are introduced to Dexter and Emily—British schoolmates who have only just met and are “hooking up”—on the eve of their graduation from university in 1988. We then revisit them on the same day in July every year...
- Get the whole review & share your opinion
-
click to order now
“This is the whale who came one night
When the tide was high and the stars were bright.
A humpback whale, immensely long,
Who sang to the snail a wonderful song
Of shimmering ice and coral caves
And shooting stars and enormous waves.”
This book is a wonderful Summer reading adventure for you and your kids. The tale is told in beautiful rhyming verse and Axel Scheffler’s illustrations are extraordinary. Even my somewhat “older” girls still like hearing this one read aloud. And of course the little ones always love the rhyming books; they sound like songs and make them much more fun!
The story is sort-of a maritime version of the old lion and mouse fable. Remember the great big scary lion who spares the mouse one day and the mouse promises to some day help the lion? The lion scoffs, but true to his word, when the lion is...
- Get the whole review & share your opinion
-
click to order now
Well, it’s bathing suit season again, that joyous time of year when we get to examine every bulge, sag and vein that we’ve managed to keep hidden for the past couple seasons. Though to be honest, down here in sunny Southern California, we have to deal with an almost year round nightmare version of bikini season. Any given weekend could be gloriously sunny and some pilates/yoga addict will throw a pool party or barbecue, and yes, you could probably skip the swim, but odds are you would still have to deal with potentially flabby arms in a sundress!
Who cares, right? So superficial, right? It’s all about what’s inside; pretty is as pretty does etc. etc. Well, I’ll tell you who cares, The Beauty Junkies. Alex Kuozynski goes deep into the psyches and obsessions of those women in New York and Los Angeles, and across the country and...
- Get the whole review & share your opinion
-
click to order now
Again, in keeping with our patriotic July fervor…I’m highly recommending this book of poems for you and your children! There is a purity about poetry that sometimes speaks far more strongly to kids than to us more cynical and critical adults. Kids can hear the sounds of the words and get the message of the poem without it being spelled out.
These wonderful poems celebrate the melting pot that is America. Asians, Native Americans, Latinos and every other race, creed and religion are represented in this beautiful and colorful book. Sports heroes and firefighters and everyone in between are celebrated through the music of poetry. Whether happy, sad, tired or afraid, our faces mirror our emotions—adults and children alike, men and women both. What becomes obvious and important as one reads through the different poems is that...
- Get the whole review & share your opinion
-
click to order now
HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY!
PRESIDENTIAL QUICK READ FOR OUR O-MAMA MAMAS.....
Okay, we all know that Bookmama swings neither left nor right, and for the most part steers clear of “political” book offerings. I’m a fiction gal, but because of the 4th of July etc. etc. I thought I’d suggest this quick and easy read. So without revealing any policy opinions…
Jory John asked kids: ages around 8 to 14: What should President Obama do know? Some kids were very specific: “use hand sanitizer.” Some kids a little more esoteric: “the best thing about the White House is the experience of being there for a term or two terms and really sucking everything up, be it good or bad.” Most of the kids wanted our president to just HELP—to help everyone get jobs, help people get along, help everyone get more money. Funny; that’s what most grown-ups want...
- Get the whole review & share your opinion
-
click to order now
HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY!
PRESIDENTIAL QUICK READ FOR OUR O-MAMA MAMAS.....
This patriotic pick was published in 2004—so pre-Obama. The book was compiled and published by The Creative Coalition—a well know group of activist types that also happen to be famous for other reasons—whether actors, comedians or musicians.
Interestingly, some of the celebrities took the question to mean, if you had 5 minutes with President Bush (specifically), what would you say….others took it to mean: 5 minutes with the president—whoever that may be.
Obviously, by the publishing date, one would expect a lot of opinions about the war. Also obviously, because of the artistic nature of most of the participants, many focused on the arts and the education system. Some ranted and raved. Others took the question very seriously and approached their thoughts...
- Get the whole review & share your opinion
-
click to order now
Fun, easy read especially for anyone facing anything equal to or beyond a 15th or 20th reunion to either high school or college. I’m 43 and a big reunion-avoider, but I really liked it. My mom is 68 and a dedicated reunion attendee, and she loved it.
- Get the whole review & share your opinion
-
click to order now
Compelling stories of fatherhood from the popular NPR radio show
From the popular radio series This I Believe comes this touching and thought-provoking compilation of original essays on one of the most fundamental of human relationships-fatherhood. It is a relationship filled with joy and heartbreak, love and anger, lessons learned, and opportunities missed.
The stories in this collection are engaging and meaningful. Some are reverential and loving; some are sad and clouded by yearning, loss, and regret: You'll read reflections from expectant and new dads, full of optimism, as well as from longtime parents who, through the distance of time, are able to reflect on their successes and failures as fathers.
We also hear from children (some young and some well into adulthood) writing about their fathers. They honestly and openly...
- Get the whole review & share your opinion
-
click to order now
If you have this book, and follow what it says, you'll save a mountain of time and money at the therapists office! This was the best book I read about divorce while going through my divorce. It was so good, in fact, that my ex-husband and I both read and followed its advice-so that our kids would come out as unscathed as possible. I've passed it along to friends going through the same thing, and they've thanked me.
- Get the whole review & share your opinion
-
click to order now
From Amazon:
“Cassandra Mack’s insightful book is concise, to-the-point and full of empowering advice. This is one book I wish I had when I was raising my daughter. Not only will you find tools for success, you’ll get plenty of reaffirmation and encouragement too.”—Deborah M. Cofer, author of No Process, No Promise and columnist for New York Carib News
“Cassandra Mack has generously guided single moms through a process of empowerment and personal elevation. Whether you’re looking for strategies for success or a little lift to get you through a tough time, it’s all here in this power-packed, inspirational guide.” —Gessy Nixon, business coach and author of, The Weekend Entrepreneur
- Get the whole review & share your opinion
-
click to order now
Amazon review:
To her surprise, Betty DeGeneres, once a quiet housewife and mother, has become a gentle, consistent, and rational voice in the gay liberation movement. In Just a Mom, she speaks for all the ordinary Americans whose children have turned out "different" and whose first concern is that they will suffer pain and rejection in life. It is natural, DeGeneres points out, to harbor some disappointment or anger at a gay child, and she guides parents toward appropriate resources and organizations, like the Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG). With warmth and conviction, DeGeneres expands on her memoir Love, Ellen to address some of the questions she has been asked as a spokesperson for the Human Rights Campaign, such as "Did I make my child gay?" and "How can I protect my child?" She makes some practical suggestions...
- Get the whole review & share your opinion
-
click to order now
A yummy book for grand MAMAs.
- Get the whole review & share your opinion
-
click to order now
This is a great book for any new mother as it talks about how every child is special and individual and that the whole world celebrated the day they were born. This is a great book for adopted parents/children because it is child focused and doesn't talk about birthmother or say "when I gave birth to you." It's totally child-centric...perfect for those babies who were born in adopted MAMAs heart and another MAMA's tummy.
- Get the whole review & share your opinion
-
click to order now
Summer is almost here, and though I wasn’t a June bride, lots of girls are so this story is for them!
14 years ago, I was still teaching kindergarten and I was engaged to be married come that November of 1996. This book was new that year, and a wonderful woman I worked with—the librarian—gave it to me as an early wedding present. I worked closely with her, and she knew me well. We shared lesson ideas and book reviews. She had known me since I was a little girl visiting her library on a regular basis.
It was the perfect wedding gift, and I have since given it to tons of young couples. My daughters love it too, and I think they must know by now that Fanny’s story is a little closer to the real thing than any Disney princess.
The book tells the story of a girl, Fanny, who—inspired by stories of Cinderella et. al.—sets her sights...
- Get the whole review & share your opinion
-
click to order now
I’ve always been curious about other religions. I’m a “lapsed Catholic” as they say—all the guilt, none of the commitment! But other faiths intrigue me, especially those that seem—at least in practice—to be extreme in some way. So whenever I come across a book that uses religion either as a backdrop or an important part of its narrative, I usually pick it up. Brady Udall’s The Lonely Polygamist fit the bill, but what I found was a book that not only gives an insider’s perspective on living the Mormon Principle, but also a wonderful story full of complicated and real characters doing their best to just live, and love eachother and their children.
Okay, so no, I’m not going to rush off to Utah and join a Plural Family, but I have to say that I have a completely different take on the polygamist way of life after reading this...
- Get the whole review & share your opinion
-
click to order now
Gripping, complicated read about love and betrayal against a backdrop of 9/11, a play about a terrorist attack on a train, and similar miseries. Miller explores the always complicated and stirring subject of relationships and what happens to them before, during, and after tragedy.
- Get the whole review & share your opinion
-
click to order now
Brilliant and utterly crushing. Don’t go anywhere near this book without an industrial-sized box of tissue and consider where you are in your PMS/menstrual cycle before you start.
- Get the whole review & share your opinion
-
click to order now
Bloodroot by Amy Greene
As you may have gathered by now, I read a lot. And I think about reading and writing a lot. And if I’m reading a particularly engrossing book, it is sometimes hard for me to focus on real life but I can do it. I have become somewhat adept at switching back and forth. Now that I’m trying to write movies though it is getting harder because I keep visualizing things as scenes, and I can’t even watch a movie without thinking about the re-writes and the dialogue between director and writer etc.
ANYWAY, even though it completely sucked that my daughter got this weird high fever/ bad tummy illness on our way to the mountains over spring break and had to spend the first 36 hours of the trip in bed/ on the toilet, it turned out to be super convenient for me because I was reading Bloodroot. So, I just lay next to her...
- Get the whole review & share your opinion
-
click to order now
The first thing that is amazing about this book is that van Ogtrop had the time to write it! She is the editor of REAL SIMPLE magazine, has 3 young sons, lots of pets and is always tired. But she is also really funny. The book is written like a little A to Z guidebook/dictionary of terms like “accounting error” which she defines as “the irrevocable mistake you make when you decide to have one more child than you can actually handle, which pushes the parental sanity balance sheet from the black (a place of comfort, if occasional boredom) to the red (excitement, panic).” She is beyond honest, extremely realistic, and hilariously self-deprecating. A fast read/ a great gift for any working mother.
- Get the whole review & share your opinion
-
click to order now
This book, coincidentally, is also written by an editor-in-chief of a major magazine. Stacy Morrison is the editor of REDBOOK, and a few years ago, her husband of 10 years and father of her infant son decided he was done—done with the marriage, the baby, the house etc. Morrison begins this heartbreaking story at that point and then describes in honest detail the next two years of her life as she sorts out her life, her divorce, her job, child care, her flooding house. She survives a fire, a couple trips to the emergency room with her son, some very real spiritual crises of self, and many, many run-ins with her Ex as she tries to fall out of love with him and tries to create an entirely new life/identity from the one she thought she was going to have. As one of my girlfriends is fond of saying, “the hits just keep on coming,” for...
- Get the whole review & share your opinion
-
click to order now
I’m calling this our Kids’ Book for the month, but really it is for everybody. And honestly, it’s just too cute for words. I was drawn to it because my kids are BIG animal lovers and the black and white baby animal photography is adorable. Each page features a different animal and words written in the voice of a child (or adult) thanking mom for all the various and sundry things we do as we raise our kids and try our best to make them into good little people. Get this book and a picture of yourself with your mom or yourself with your child, frame it, and you’ve got the perfect Mothers’ Day Gift.
This is how this little gift book begins: “Mom, the other day I was rubbing my belly button and it really made me stop and think; what a funny little reminder of such an important connection.” I think about that sometimes, when my girls...
- Get the whole review & share your opinion
-
click to order now
For this month, we have a little bit of a Mothers’ Day theme happening. O-Mama is always celebrating Moms—especially opinionated Moms…so this month’s books are about Moms—and our special, joyful and sometimes complicated relationships with our kids!
Rainier Maria Rilke (one of my very favorite poets) said: "The knowledge of impermanence that haunts our days is their very fragrance."
That's an interesting idea. Especially to parents --- we've all felt it. The ticking clock. That guilty feeling you have when your child is a psychotic toddler and you find yourself wishing time away—just a few months or even a year, just to get you through the terrible 2’s and 3’s. How the days are long, but the years are short. How our kids can't know what they mean to us until they have kids who mean everything to them.
10 ½ years ago, I had my...
- Get the whole review & share your opinion
-
click to order now
Another book by the wildly prolific Jodi Picoult! The mother in this story is struggling with an 18 year old son with Asperger’s Syndrome—a disorder on the Autism spectrum—something very much in the news and pretty controversial as far as causes etc. This mother has devoted her entire life to her child—her children—2 sons, but obviously the special needs child has received the lion’s share of her attentions.
Her marriage has crumbled; her second son has his share of resentments, but her eldest—because of her tireless efforts—has become extremely high functioning. She has learned exactly what sets him off and has adapted their household, meals, schedules etc. around his specific needs. The story takes a jarring turn when her special needs son is accused of murder, and because of the nature of his disorder, he appears to virtually...
- Get the whole review & share your opinion
-
click to order now
This is another classic—one of my favorites growing up, and now definitely my daughters’ favorite Easter book in the stack. It’s pretty long so it’s a real testament to the narrative strength that kids interests’ are absolutely held until the very end.
The Country Bunny tells the story of a little girl bunny who longs to someday be one of the five Easter bunnies who deliver eggs on Easter to children all over the world. She grows up and gets a little off track (don’t we all?) and winds up having 21 babies. Oopsie! But she’s a fabulous mother and has them all trained up nicely to behave and do chores and so forth. This is my kids’ favorite part: The author describes what each bunny does around the house. These two make the beds…these two wash the clothes…these two sweep the floor and so forth. The 21st bunny pulls out his...
- Get the whole review & share your opinion
-
click to order now
So today I’m putting on make-up…fumbling in the drawer for mascara. I pick up the “old” mascara that is basically empty—say ‘oops’, toss it back in the drawer and grab the new one. I’ve had the “new” one for a year probably. For the record, there is a trash can maybe 6 inches from my right foot. It occurs to me that it might be time to clean out my make-up drawer. I do it. It takes me all of about 7 minutes, but the extraordinary high I get from throwing some congealing lipsticks away is beyond the pale. This rush spurs me on to more. I quickly—without ruminating etc.—clean the rest of my bathroom drawers. I toss about 4 hair products that failed me in my quest to have slick, silky hair like Reese Witherspoon’s. I do keep most of the wrinkle creams, but toss the ones that give me zits. I toss free floating Q-tips and old...
- Get the whole review & share your opinion
-
click to order now
STAR BY PETER BISKIND
How Warren Beatty Seduced America
I am still trudging my way through this gigantic book. He just met Annette Bening, so I suppose I must be getting semi-near the end. As biographies go, it’s okay. As a reader, you need to be extremely interested in the utter minutiae involved in the making of movies to truly appreciate the research involved in writing this novel. Biskind literally talked to everyone to get his information. He has sex details from Madonna and scads of other girlfriends. He knows exactly how many feet of film Beatty shot for REDS; how many takes for each scene. In my opinion, both Bonne and Clyde and Splendor in the Grass are great movies –as are Heaven Can Wait and Shampoo, so I was actually keen to find out the genesis of those pictures. But the guy made a lot of movies, and it gets a...
- Get the whole review & share your opinion
-
click to order now
Once upon a time, a girl married a boy. This boy said he was “an artist.” “What did that mean?” she wondered. Well, as it turns out, for her—it meant that he was unemployed for a long time. But the girl kept telling herself that she married an artist and this is what happens when you marry an artist. They are so smart and so ethereal and mercurial and brilliant—I mean all she had to do was ask him and he would tell her he was a genius—such a genius in fact, that he constantly felt surrounded by people that didn’t understand him--especially in work environments.
Coincidentally, or maybe not so coincidentally, that girl had a friend. That friend had A LOT of boyfriends, before she got married, who were also self-proclaimed artists—writers, musicians, actors, poets—all tortured, all unemployed—some convicted felons. Luckily,...
- Get the whole review & share your opinion
-
click to order now
I feel like I’m always trying to get my kids to calm down. I speed past my desired freeway exits because they are thumb wrestling—which means screaming-- in the back seat. We rarely get through a meal without milk or juice spillage because of some flailing arm accompanying a too loud story. Just this morning, after insisting that they could apply the cinnamon/sugar to the toast themselves, we literally had a snowstorm of sugar all over the counter and floor. It looked like Studio 54 in the 70’s. They thought it was hilarious, especially when I had to strong arm the dog from licking it all up.
And lately, and I don’t know why this is --but bath time is totally out of control. What is it about being naked together that makes kids go totally outer limits? They make up these wacky songs that are sorta PG-13 and just crack each...
- Get the whole review & share your opinion
-
Mary: Mrs. A. Lincoln by Janis Cooke Newman
This is a novel written in the form of a first person biography by Mary Todd Lincoln—comprised of notes composed by Mrs. Lincoln herself when she was in a lunatic asylum. This is an unbelievably sad book written by a complicated but altogether sane woman who was most likely institutionalized against her will later in life by her own son. Now, if she was, in fact, insane, one could certainly sympathize. The woman buried three sons and was holding her husband’s hand when he was assassinated. She was madly in love with him too.
Secrets of Eden by Chris Bohjalian:
This is the same author mentioned in the shorts last month—his latest novel is as controversial and thought provoking as the others. This one delves into the world of spousal abuse and an eventual homicide. Who is...
- Get the whole review & share your opinion
-
click to order now
My sister’s oldest daughter is 18 and a senior in high school. She is smack dab in the middle of the college admissions process. She seems a little nervous but not completely overwrought. She is a mellow cat by nature—similar to a lot of teens nowadays—languid, quiet, relatively self-absorbed and astonishingly savvy in 2 main areas: technology and looking good. She is stunning anyway but has the benefits as well of perfect make-up, expensive hair color and extensions, and a fabulous wardrobe. When my sister goes anywhere snazzy, she uses her daughter as a personal and unfailingly honest stylist. My niece has a MySpace page and a Facebook page. She has high speed texting capabilities. She knows exactly what bag to carry and what shoes to wear. And yes, on top of all that she does pretty well in school.
So next year she’ll go...
- Get the whole review & share your opinion
-
click to order now
In my former life as a Kindergarten teacher, I remember thinking—every year—that if I were ever going to write a children’s book it would be a Valentine’s Day themed story because for some reason, there just aren’t that many. And that is still true! I just checked. So I’m recommending an old favorite, and most likely one you’ve heard of already and may even own, but it’s worth digging it out of the book box or wherever. And if you don’t have it, you and your kids are in for a treat.
Valentine’s Day is not my favorite holiday. Is it anyone’s favorite holiday? My mom always bought us kids some chocolates—even through high school—so that was nice, but sadly, the only time of your life that you might actually care about something as stupid as Valentine’s Day is also the time in your life when the likelihood of disappointment is...
- Get the whole review & share your opinion
-
The Help by Kathryn Stockett—fabulous, thumbs up. SHOCKING account of what went on in some homes in the South as recently as 30-40 years ago—in our lifetime!
The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters and Shatter by Michael Robotham—
I got both these books off a favorite books of 2009 list by Stephen King of all people—whose books I don’t like because they are way too scary. These 2 books are immensely readable—creepy for sure but well written—both British authors—and with a certain British sensibility that I’ve always enjoyed. It’s hard for Americans to truly understand their aristocracy—the landed gentry and so forth—but it makes for very interesting reading. And yes, they are both scary—not like Carrie or The Shining, for God’s sake, but scary in a good way. Trust me—I’m the biggest fraidy-cat ever. There are a couple...
- Get the whole review & share your opinion
-
click to order now
Everyone loves a good make-over. Cinderella was always my favorite—literally rising out of the ashes of the fireplace to trounce over her bitchy stepsisters with her fab glass slippers. My mom tells me I would “play” Cinderella as a child, but ALWAYS started out with my nightie and some old apron and a broom at least for a few minutes because the KEY to the game was the transformation. I always played this game alone by the way, even though I had 3 sisters who could have played the other parts VERY well, but weren’t always willing to play the gross, ugly and mean parts—shocker.
Queer Eye for the Straight Guy was one of the early makeover shows—they make over the guy and his apartment—they “juge” his hair with lots of product, show him how to shave “with the grain.” Whiten his teeth with the Crest strips. Carson made fun of...
- Get the whole review & share your opinion
-
click to order now
Sometimes I am really jealous of Ellen and Portia. They have love. They have laughs. They probably hang their towels up or at least have someone that hangs them up. And probably, when either of them gets the sniffles, the world as they know it doesn’t end. Maybe Ellen will stop at the CVS and pick up some Sudafed for Portia, but if she doesn’t I’m sure Portia still acts normal and sweet when Ellen gets back from the studio or wherever.
Honest to God, what is it about men and illness? And I know this is so trite and so cliché, but again—only because it’s soooo true! (That’s how cliché’s become cliché’s—the first guy that compared someone’s eyes to limpid pools or sapphires was a genius, but any guy who tries that line now? Forget about it.) Anyway, I’m sure there are exceptions to this phenomenon, but it seems to me that...
- Get the whole review & share your opinion
