Random Musings of a Bibliophile

Top Ten Tuesday  is a Meme hosted by  The Broke and the Bookish This week's TTT topic: Books for Christmas Usually when I do this post, I only do books I'm giving the kids in my life for Christmas. This year I'm including four I desperately want at the end. For Bit (age 12): For LM (age 8): For the Niece (age 4; ALMOST 5): For Nephew (age 1):  (Ummm...I THINK these are the ones I got him. Maybe? I wrapped them and mailed them a while ago so possibly they are different. But two from this series definitely.) What I Want: You know how they've been slowly redoing all of Diana Wynne Jones's books in the UK and they are amazing? Well they finally did the Dalemark Quartet and LOOK AT THEM. This series has needed amazing covers for a looooonnnnggg time. I love them all but especially Drowned Ammet and The Spellcoats . They are so beautiful. What books are you gifting or longing for this holiday season?

The Painter kids started their new school year this past Monday. I am now the mother/teacher of a seventh grader and a third grader which is rather hard for me to believe. My philosophy with literature is that my kids should have a lot of choice, but that there are some things that are just required too (particularly if it's connected to their history). I'm highlighting some of those required books for the year here. Bit's main focus in history this is year is Ancient Civilizations so she'll be reading  The Odyssey, The Epic of Gilgamesh , The Codes of Hammurabi, a lot of Old Testament, and several non-fiction sources on civilizations around the world. I hope my other literature picks for her highlight my attempt to give her some female voices that reflect Ancient civilizations and also that I occasionally wanted her to have a break from the old stuff. LM's main history focus this year is Ancient Greece and Rome. (We did other ancient civilizations la...

 My kids birthdays are coming up in May. Here are some of the books they will be receiving as presents. For Bit (turning 11):   For LM (turning 7): Looking forward to the celebrations, and can not believe my kids are both this old. Time flies. I also have a birthday in  May that will hopefully yield some bookish joy for me. I'll keep you posted. 

The Diamond in the Window by Jane Langton was a book I had never even heard of until it made the Fuse 8 Top 100 Poll. I in no way feel obligated to read every book on the list that I haven't. The synopsis for this one intrigued me enough to see if my library was still circulating a copy. And they were. Yay for my library! Synopsis (from Goodreads): Eddy and Eleanor Hall have always known that their family was a bit out of the ordinary. After all, they live in one of the most remarkable houses in all of Concord. But they never guessed just how extraordinary their house really is, or what tremendous secrets about their family's past it holds. That is, until they discover the magical attic room with its beautiful stained-glass window, abandoned toys, and two perfectly made-up, empty beds that seem to be waiting perhaps for two children just like themselves.... This book has several elements I enjoy when reading. Siblings on a quest, an old house to explore, secrets...

Reading Earwig and the Witch by Diana Wynne Jones was such a bittersweet experience as it was the last book Jones wrote before she died and so obviously the beginning of what would have been an absolutely delightful series. Synopsis (from Goodreads): Got the other twelve witches all chasing me. I'll be back for her when I've shook them off. It may take years. Her name is Earwig. Earwig has been at the orphanage ever since she was a baby. That's just how she likes it. She has her best friend, Custard, and everyone always does exactly what Earwig wants. She never wants to leave, so she makes sure no one ever picks her. Then a very strange couple comes to the orphanage. They try to make themselves look ordinary. But Earwig knows they are not, not in the least. And they choose her, out of all the other children. Earwig could be in for quite an unpleasant surprise. But so could the very strange couple. This book is for a younger audience than I usually revie...

May is a busy month here in our house. In addition to all the end of school stuff and Mother's Day, we have three birthdays and a wedding anniversary to celebrate. Two of those birthdays, falling 8 days apart, belong to the children. I always like to do a post on the books they are getting for their birthdays. This year is a little bittersweet for me. I'm so excited about the people and readers my children are becoming, at the same time we are well and truly leaving the baby years behind. (Wait until next year when my little one will be preparing for Kindergarten. I may be a puddle.) Here is this  year's lists: The Boy (turning 4): Bit (turning 8):   The third birthday in May was my own. I also got a lot of books (thanks to gift cards received). My b'day books:   Fire and Hemlock by Diana Wynne Jones Dogsbody by Diana Wynne Jones A Tale of Time City by Diana Wynne Jones Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein The Shield Ring by Rosemary Su...

No books in today's 10 that I haven't heard of. I am happy to say I have heard of every single one of them. Even if I haven't read them all. Again I have linked to Betsy Bird's descriptions of each book posted at Fuse 8. You should really click through and read them if you haven't yet. She does a fantastic job discussing each book. 90.  The Children of Green Knowe by L.M. Boston This is one I haven't read because I don't typically go in for these type of books. Since it has made the list twice now I suppose I need to go ahead and read it. Sigh. 89. The Mouse and the Motorcycle by Beverly Cleary Not my favorite Cleary book but who can resist that cute little mouse on his motorcycle. I actually think this book works best as a read aloud for the 4-6 year old range because it hits right at their level of development. 88. The BFG by Roald Dahl This is actually tied with Charlie and the Chocolate Factory as my favorite Dahl book. In fact I can do wi...

Magic Below Stairs by Caroline Stervermer is another one of those delightful books that exists in an alternate version of Regency history where there is magic, wizards and the like. Synoposis (from Goodreads): Young Frederick is plucked from an orphanage to be a footboy for a wizard named Lord Schofield in Victorian England. Is his uncanny ability to tie perfect knots and render boots spotless a sign of his own magical talent, or the work of Billy Bly, the brownie who has been secretly watching over him since he was little? No matter, for the wizard has banished all magical creatures from his holdings. But Billy Bly isn't going anywhere, and when he discovers a curse upon the manor house, it's up to Frederick and Billy Bly to keep the lord?s new baby safe and rid the Schofield family of the curse forever. Frederick is a very likable character and the world he inhabits is interesting. Just enough details are given of day to day life without being overly descriptiv...

This month marks one year since the death of the amazingly wonderful children's fantasy writer Diana Wynne Jones. There has been a site set up to Celebrate Diana Wynne Jones which contains quotes, pictures, comments, and links to various posts on her works. There has also been a blog tour going on for those in publishing and bloggers to share their feelings on her and her work. My favorites have been the posts on the Greenwillow blog , particularly the one Megan Whalen Turner wrote. You can also post to #DWJ2012 on Twitter. My love for DWJ can not be contained in 140 characters and so I wrote a whole post.  If you are at this point wondering, "Who is Diana Wynne Jones?", well you should definitely go find out. She was writing wonderfully magical British fantasy books decades before Harry Potter was even a germ of an idea. I am truly sad that I did not discover her work as a child. (I LIVED IN ENGLAND. How did that happen???) I have made up for it in recent years, but st...

I don't enjoy animal books. Occasionally a book will come along that causes me to eat these words ( The Tale of Despereaux, The Cheshire Cheese Cat ). Usually animal books simply remind me of all the reasons I don't enjoy animal books. The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate   doesn't quite fall into the category of the former, but it is far removed from the latter. Synopsis (from Goodreads): Ivan is an easygoing gorilla. Living at the Exit 8 Big Top Mall and Video Arcade, he has grown accustomed to humans watching him through the glass walls of his domain. He rarely misses his life in the jungle. In fact, he hardly ever thinks about it at all. Instead, Ivan thinks about TV shows he’s seen and about his friends Stella, an elderly elephant, and Bob, a stray dog. But mostly Ivan thinks about art and how to capture the taste of a mango or the sound of leaves with color and a well-placed line. Then he meets Ruby, a baby elephant taken from her family, and s...