Can You Say Peace? - Karen Katz

For: Babies and Toddlers (even though some reviews say 4-8)

Published: 2006
Rating: 5
Read: Feb. 2007 and yesterday

Endpapers: Purple

Laura says that Ella asks for this book every night. I gave it to her for Valentine's Day, 2007. It's a beautiful book with colorful, large illustrations in happy colors, each surrounded with a frame of another bright color. We meet eleven different children from eleven different cultures who say "PEACE" in eleven different languages. Ella (who's two) will even point to each of the eleven children on the cover and say their name. She repeats the word for peace as it is read to her, and knows most of them by heart. It's pretty cool to see and hear.

Hana lives in Iran. Hana says sohl (sohl).
Stefan lives in Russia. Stefan says mir (meer).
May lives in China. May says he ping (hey ping).

A really special book.

61. Maybe - Brent Runyon

For: Older YA (Gr 9+)
Published: 2006
196 pgs.
Rating: 4
Finished Monday, Dec. 15, 2008

Brian's older brother has died, we slowly find out how. Brian's grief is locked inside himself, and we follow his life and his thoughts as his family moves to an affluent area in Virginia. Here he becomes a junior at his new high school, finds a group of friends - they happen to be in the drama department - and he even gets a part in a play. We are very much in his head in this book, sharing his thoughts, his yearnings and his misgivings. His first...his only...thoughts about each girl he meets is sex, and he goes out with them whether he likes them or not, hoping, hoping...... He's really quite messed up. We are with him as he gets his license, meets new people, even sit in on his classes with him. And slowly, slowly he gets to face his brother's death and get on with his life.

I went up and down about my feelings about this book. I wasn't crazy about the protagonist, but the book is really well written, and I do feel like I was in Brian's head. Brian's screwed up head. You do end the book thinking he's going to be okay - but it's because he finally finds a female that he likes for herself. Where will this take him? Will his fickle feelings return so that he'll have to begin all over? We can only guess!

MOVIE: Milk

Rating: Super
Viewed: Sat, Dec. 13, 2008
El Con, with Fran
Rotten Tomato Rating: 93%
Mine: the same, I really liked it a lot
EW: not yet, cag: A
Rolling Stone: 4/4
Genre: Drama/Biography
Released 11/26/08
R (2 hrs 8 min)
Directed by: Gus VanSant
Sean Penn (nominated for Golden Globe Best Actor), James Franco
BEST ACTOR, Academy Awards, Feb. 2009 - SEAN PENN
BEST SCREENWRITER, Academy Awards, Feb. 2009 - DUSTIN LANCE BLACK

Harvey Milk, openly gay activisit and elected official in San Francisco, was assassinated, along with the mayor of SF, in 1978. Thirty years ago! This movie takes you from the early 70's, Milk's move from New York to San Francisco, and the journey that he took to make a difference for gay rights. It was framed by Milk sitting at his kitchen table recording into a tape recorder. flashing back through fashion and friends, telling his story. it was really well done, seemed well researched (at least I'm counting on that - I'd like to think the story was accurate), and was rewarded by a smattering of applause from the packed audience - you don't hear that very much anymore. A totally enjoyable movie experience. Sean Penn has to be the most talented actor of this generation. AMAZING! The actors were well chosen, the parts were well acted - and James Franco was, as usual, fantastic.

MOVIE: Happy-Go-Lucky

Rating: Charming and fun
Viewed: Friday, Dec. 12, 2008
at the Loft, with Fran
Rotten Tomato rating: 94%
Mine: 90%
EW: A- cag: A-
Comedy
Released 10/10/08
R (1 hr 58 min)
Directed by: Mike Leigh
Golden Globe nominations for Best Comedy Motion Picture and for Best Actress, Comedy, for Sally Hawkins

Sally Hawkins plays Poppy, a 30-year old primary teacher in an English city. She is happy, upbeat, enjoys her life and her friends, and really tries to have a positive outlook on life. She seems fearless, afraid of nothing - not in a "daring" kind of way, perhaps I'd call it a "brave" way. She parties with her friends, has her bike stolen so takes driving lessons (which becomes a strong part of the storyline, since the teacher is somewhat nuts), worries about her students, and ends up with a love interest at the end...yippee! This was thoroughly enjoyable, thought-provoking, and just plain fun. One thing - you do have to listen carefully because there are points where the British accents gets pretty strong and you have to furrow your brow for a second to figure out what was said. (I went from an A to an A- because there was a segment in the movie that seemed just inserted....first Poppy was walking out in the country, amid shrubs with no city anywhere, then she ended up in a dicey part of town, interacting with an imbalanced man. It was a really interesting part of the movie, but I can't figure out exactly where it came from.)

60. S is for Silence - Sue Grafton

AUDIO Read by Judy Kaye
For: Adults
Book Published: 2006
Audio Published: Dec. 2005, Random House Audio
10 discs
368 pgs.
Rating: 3/5
Finished Dec. 10, 2008

Kinsey Milhone's 19th investigation is written in a bit of a different style than the previous 18. This time, Sue Grafton goes back and forth between Kinsey's point of view in 1987, and the stories, feelings, and the 1953 observations of a number of the pertinent characters and suspects in the disappearance of Violet Sullivan. Daisy Sullivan, a very small child at the time of her mother's disappearance, really wants to know what happened 34 years previously. Because of the way the story's written, we get to see the motivations and attitudes of many characters, which was a great way to develop these characters. However, at the end of the story I felt like there were a lot of loose ends. It was wrapped up quickly, with the murderer coming after Kinsey, and ending without the reader knowing how the intricate murder took place, there was no motive that I could tell, so we don't really know why, and no real closer....very disappointing after staying tuned for ten discs and many weeks of listening. A major letdown, actually.

A quick summary: Violet Sullivan, a "tart", mother of baby Daisy and wife of an angry wife-beater, goes after men and whatever else she may want in a small California town. She feels very sorry for herself, but does nothing constructive to change her situation. She has a mysterious $50,000 (though there's foggy history behind it), a brand new convertible, and then disappears one night on the fourth of July weekend with her annoying little dog. Small town families, small town politics, and an interesting story. However, the ending really botched up a good rating for me.

MOVIE: Rachel Getting Married

Rating: Unsettling
Viewed: Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2008
El Con with Laraine
Rotten Tomato Rating: 88%
Mine: 25% (Acting 85%)
EW: A cag: C-
Genre: Drama
Released: October 3, 2008
R (1 hr 53 min)
Directed by: Jonathan Demme
Anne Hathaway, Debra Winger

Anne Hathaway was amazing. The move was boring and nauseating. Literally nauseating. It looked like a hand-held camera wobbling and wobbly, jumpy and amateur. I'm sure it was purposely done, but I couldn't stand it. The wedding guests who were always in the background for an entire endless day after day played screechy, bad music...constantly.....until I was ready to scream. There was a dishwasher scene that went on f o r e v e r and the reception was absolutely endless. Out of the two hours I enjoyed about 30 minutes - the 30 minutes that Anne Hathaway was front and center.

Anne Hathaway played Kym, a recovering drug-addict that has left rehab (after about 9 months) to attend her sister Rachel's wedding. Yes, she's a bit self-centered at first, but what she needs in her life is to get some issues with her family out in the open. Unfortunately, a big family wedding is not the place to do it...but it needs to happen. I really liked the story, I hated the lengthy scenes, wobbly filming, and hair-raising accompanying music. I loved the story and the acting. However, when you can't wait for a movie to end, you can't rate the movie very high. And I thought this movie would never end.

That Book Woman - Heather Henson

Illustrator: David Small
For: Early school-age? (Dialect might be difficult)
Published: Oct, 2008
Rating: 3.5
Read: Today
Endpapers: Med. rust

Set high in Kentucky's Appalachian Mountains, Cal would rather than work with Pap than learn to read chicken scratch. Since school is a "jillion miles back down the creek" he's gotten no schoolin', and can't understand his sister Lark's love of reading. One day a "lady wearing britches" appears on a horse after a "hard day's ride"...with a "passel of books." And she wants nothing in trade. On top of that, she'll return in two days to swap the books! She comes through the rain and the cold and the fog, and eventually Cal decides to see what it is that Lark's so taken with - and she teaches him to read!

Based on the real PACK HORSE LIBRARY PROJECT that was part of FDR's WPA (Work Progress Administration) in the 1930's, this book gives homage to the brave and hardy woman who traveled throughout Kentucky's Appalachia to bring the gift of books and reading to the poor of Appalachia.

I loved the dialect, but I wonder if it might be hard for some kids to understand? It gives a great sense of place, and IS pretty cool....

Comes on a time
the world turns white
as Granpap's beard.
The wind it shrieks
like bobcats do
deep inside the dark of night.
So here we sit
tucked 'round the fire,
no thought to howdy-do's this day.
Why, even critters of the wild
will keep a-hid
come snow like this.

I usually like David Small's illustrations, but this won't be a favorite. I want more detail!

MOVIE: Twilight

Entertaining-pretty much what I expected
Viewed: Thanksgiving Night 11/27/08
Dreamcatcher Theater, north of Santa Fe, NM
Rotten Tomato Rating: 43%
Mine: Oh, let's say 60%
EW: B cag: B
Genre: Teen (lots of guys there, so not a chick-flick)
Released 11/21/08
PG-13 (2 hrs 2 min)
Directed by: Catherine Hardwicke
adaptation of the book by Stephanie Meyer

I couldn't wait to see how this book would tranlsate onto the screen. It was entertaining, the story was easy to follow and very silmilar to the book. However, I wasn't really thrilled...Harry Potter thrilled, particularly....and I've mulled over the reason.

Edward-of-the-movie just wasn't my Edward-of-the-book. Bella was fine. Her dad was perfect. The Cullen family worked beautifully (Alice was particularly good). But if Edward dosn't work - the movie doesn't completely work.

Bella moves from Phoenix and her mom to Forks, WA and her dad. She is immediately drawn to Edward Cullen, and he to her. Edward's family are all vampires that have diverted from a vampire's usual path --- they want to live as average people, not killing to find the blood that sustains them. They are strong and fast and sparkle in the sunshine. They are still stronly drawn to sucking blood, but work hard to overcome that desire. Bella falls in love with Edward in an all-consuming way. She cares about nothing else. Something else that bothers me.....

The movie seemed to follow the book quite well. I wish I'd been thrilled.

Sourpuss and Sweetie Pie - Norton Juster

Illustrator: Chris Raschka
For: Kids
Published: October, 2008
Rating:5 for story/ 1 for illustrations
Read: This weekend
Endpapers: Bright lilac
Sequel to 06 Caldecott: The Hello Goodbye Window

When a little girl visits her Nanna and Poppy, they never know if she'll be sweet and funny or grumpy and impossible - or both at the same time! There's lots of dialogue, lots of loving situations - but the illustrations are just blobs of color with a sparse few black lines showing detail. Maybe it's just the mood I'm in - but.....uck. I know people rave about Chris Raschka's art. I love moder/abstract art myself, Kandinsky and Haring are my very favorite artists...but this cool story was NOT enhanced by these nondescript scribbles. At least, not to enhance this story. Do kids relate to these illustrations?

Wild Boars Cook - Meg Rosoff

Illustrator: Sophie Blackall
For: preschool-Gr 2
Published: Sept, 2008
Rating: 3.5
Read: This weekend
Endpapers: Closeup of the boar's fur

Snorting, stinky javelinas and I go way back, so this book, sitting on the new picture books shelf at the Golf Links branch library, stopped me in my tracks. The author, Meg Rosoff, wrote the 2005 Printz winner for Young Adults, How I Live Now. NOT a children's story. But this is different. The illustrations are a riot, and the story is fun. I can picture myself reading it to Ella and Brendan.

Boris, Morris, Horace, and Doris are "bossy and selfish and stinky and HUNGRY." When Doris finds a delicious recipe for a pudding, the all pitch in to make it the best ever, adding their own favorite ingredients (like broccoli, butter, bananas, squid, and muddy puddles). They create, they eat, they sleep for a short time, and they're hungry again!

The book ends with a real recipe for a MASSIVE COOKIE that kids and parents could make together.

Just plain fun. Great illustrations and large font.

MOVIE: What Just Happened

Rating: Mostly boring, lots of emotional sadness, some funny parts
Viewed: Friday, Nov. 21
Crossroads by myself
Rotten Tomato Rating: 51%
Mine: About 40%
EW: B cag: C-
Genre: Comedy, dry comedy, if a sad life is funny...
Released: 10/17/08 (about a month ago)
R (1 hr. 47 min)
Directed by: Barry Levinson
Robert DeNiro, Sean & Robin Wright Penn,

I really wanted to like this movie. But it was slow and boring,.. and sad. I changed position in my seat a dozen times. DeNiro plays a getting-older movie producer. Nothing seems to be going right for him, either in his personal life or his professional one. Trying to be a good dad to his kids from two marriages, proably paying huge alimonies for two huge houses, drugged-out writer/directors and spoiled leading men, constant phone calls, If he could only let out his feelings, but he keeps everything all bortled up inside. I left the theater feeling really sad. There WERE some good laugh-out-loud places, but not enough to redeem the overwhelming sadness for this life. It makes you SO appreciate the one you've got!

My Baby - Jeanette Winter

For: Preschoolers
Published: 2001
Rating: 5
Read: Today
Endpapers: Deep lavender

There are THREE reasons why this book is a "5" for me (the illustrations, the bogolan cloth, the great author). And there are THREE different reasons to read it:

One: The story. Nakunte learns the art of painting bogolan cloth from her mother. Years later she paints a special cloth for her baby that will come when the rains come. As she paints, she speaks of all the creatures that live in her African village.

Two: The culture. Mali, Africa. You get a feel for the place.

Three: The painting of the cloth. I have some of this beautiful black cloth, myself. To see how it starts with white cloth, then specially prepared mud is painted on, leaving the lovely white design, is a treat.

I love the folky feel to Jeanette Winter's illustrations. I love all the clever touches she includes. When, as a young adult, Nakunte begins her painting, the borders of the illustration become strips of the bogolan cloth she's working on. The colors are bright and cheerful, different colored borders on each and every page, with very little white. And, Ms. Winter is a lyrical writer: "Listen, my baby, do you hear mama crocodile creeping across the savanna on her short legs? Will she find the water she is looking for?"

I've always enjoyed Jeanette Winter's illustration...it's time to collect a few of her books, I think!

Little Boy - Alison McGhee

Illustrator: Peter H. Reynolds
For: Kids
Published: April, 2008
Rating: 5
Read: today
Endpapers: Sunshine yellow

Rhythm and rhyme. Repetition. Inklings of a favorite poem (think William Carlos Williams). Elipses. Clever illustrations. Pretty darn cool book.

Little boy, so much depends on...
your yellow cup
a serenade to wake you up,
sun that slants across the rug,
the wings on that astonishing bug,
and...
your big cardboard box.

The personality of a young boy. Favorite things and life happenings. We all have favorite stories about our kids, stories we've heard about ourselves as kids, stories we hear over and over. Kids have favorite books and favorite foods and favorite objects that may be forgotten as time passes. This book would be a great model for a kid to write his own book! With a little time, effort, creativity, a blank book and some markers or colored pencils - away we go!

Even though there's lots of white/negative space (something I'm not fond of), this book really works. Simple, colored-in line drawings have detail and character. This is a very lovable book.

MOVIE: Secret Life of Bees

Rating: Wonderful
Viewed: November 18, 2008
El Con with SW
58% Rotten Tomato Rating
Mine: 90%
EW: C cag: A
Genre: Drama
Released 10/17/08
PG-13 (1 hr 50 min)
Directed by: Gina Prince-Bythewood
Dakota Fanning, Queen Latifah, Jennifer Hudson, Alicia Keys
adaptation of the book by Sue Monk Kidd

What's not to like? Sure, this would probably be considered a "chick flick," but what's wrong with that? GREAT storytelling, wonderful acting, lovely setting and sets. It's been awhile since I've seen a movie, especially a drama, that I enjoyed this much.

Lily accidentally shot and killed her mother when she was 4. Now, in 1964, living with her mean, unhappy father in what looks like a sharecropper's house on the edge of a peach orchard, she is searching for information about her mother. Her young black housekeeper, Rosalie, seems to be her only friend. While walking into town together, Rosalie is attacked, and beaten by a group of rednecks. Lily breaks her out of her hospital prison room and they take off together to Tiburon, SC, because of a mysterious clue that Lily has found about her mother's past.

This takes them to the Honey Farm of August (Latifah), June (Keys) and May's Pepto-Bismal-pink home. The family takes them in and they instantly become close, Lily sleeping out in the honey shack, and learning about beekeeping with August. The usual touching/interesting ups and downs, friendship, love, racial tension and anger-a great ride toward a powerful (but foreseen) tragedy.

I very much enjoyed this film and would happily watch it again, for all the reasons stated above. Ultimately, a really feel-good movie.

59. Angels Flight - Michael Connelly

AUDIO Read by Dick Hill
For: Adults
Book Published: 1999
Audio Published: 1998, Brilliance (yup, these dates are correct)
9 discs
393 pages
Rating: 5/5
Finished Nov. 17, 2008

How does this guy keep thinking up such brilliant plots? Twists and turns and sitting in the car until I'm almost late to work....

Harry Bosch is called to head the team investigating a particularly tricky homocide. Howard Elias, a hated-by-cops and loved-by-blacks LA lawyer who has sued many, many LA cops, has been murdered. His most recent case, a powder keg involving the murder of a 12-year old white girl, could start race riots all over LA. The young black man he had been representing claimed that not only did he NOT do it, but that he'd been cruelly attacked while being questioned by the police. When Harry discovers what Howard Ellias has discovered - that the client is, indeed, innocent - a chain reaction is set off. Not only that, he's trying to quit smoking. AND he's partnered with an IAD jerk, Chastain, who tried to throw him to the wolves in the last book. But to top it off, his wife, Eleanor, has left him. Doesn't sound like she loves him enough. Poor Harry. Beautifully plotted and really well told, I couldn't stop reading/listening to this great yarn.

Hurrah, Harry Bosch! Keep 'em coming Michael Connelly!