Monthly Archives: October 2007

Why I Love Children's literature

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A commenter on one of Mo Willems’s blog entries offers a quote that describes perfectly why I love children’s literature:

“I believe that a good children’s book should appeal to all people who have not completely lost their original joy and wonder in life. The fact is that I don’t make books for children at all. I make them for that part of us, of myself and of my friends, which has never changed, which is still a child.”

~Leo Lionni

(This post was brought over from emilyw.vox.com. Click here for the original post and comments.)

Books Update

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A few weeks ago I went to the most inspiring book event I’ve ever been to. It was for John Elder Robison and his new book, Look Me in the Eye. It’s a memoir about growing up with Asperger’s Syndrome. The book is incredible, and the event was so much fun. Barnes and Noble’s new site features videos of the big author events at Union Square, and this one can be found here. John also has a great blog.

Also, previous author events I went to are on the site now too: Garrison Keillor and Dave Barry. The Garrison Keillor event was great, and I highly recommend watching him speak in this video if you’re a fan. The Dave Barry event was fun too, but he played a game with the crowd the whole time, so I’m not sure how fun that is to watch.

I finished Middlesex by Jeffery Eugenides this weekend. I don’t have the energy to write the review this book deserves, but I can say that it’s Pulitzer is well deserved. It’s beautifully written, and moves along at a great pace. I couldn’t put it down. Now I can’t wait to read Eugenide’s other book, The Virgin Suicides.

I also finished a charming little book of essays by Anne Fadiman that my mom recommended: Ex Libris. It’s a perfect collection for lovers of books and reading. One of my favorite essays is about the difference between “carnal book lovers” and “courtly book lovers” – people who love their books to pieces and people who keep their beloved books in pristine condition.

I bought a few great books this month (including Ex Libris). One great find was a perfect hardcover copy of The Writer’s Desk by Jill Krementz for only $2 at the East Lansing Public Library’s used book sale. I also finally caved and purchased Book Lust by Nancy Pearl. I’ve resisted it for a long time because I’ve never needed a book to tell me more books I should read, I have a never-ending list as it is. But after looking at it several times in the store, I’ve realized that I really like reading what she has to say about all the books she recommends and seeing which books I’ve read in each category, and which ones I would add to her lists.

Right now I’m reading Mister Pip by Lloyd Jones and I Am America (and so can you!) by Stephen Colbert.

(This post was brought over from emilyw.vox.com. Click here for the original post and comments.)

Make Your Own Gummy Pizza

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I’ll do another post that recaps everything that happened since my last post (long ago). But until then, there’s something more pressing to post about.

Tuesday my mom and I went to a dollar store, and I found a hidden gem. A “Make Your Own Gummy Pizza.” Brilliant. We immediately purchased one for Ryan. I got back to New York today before he was out of work, so I left it on his desk to surprise him.

We were very responsible, and waiting until after dinner to construct it. Here’s the pizza, after Ryan “made” it:

And here’s a great video clip about it:


Apparently the most disgusting part is the “crust” – the rest (the sauce, cheese, and toppings) were better. The crust smelled like play-doh, and didn’t taste much different than it smelled.

(This post was brought over from emilyw.vox.com. Click here for the original post and comments.)

Polysyllabic Spree September 2007

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Oh goodness. September was a crazy book month. I had Birthday Month Mentality, whereby any book is a reasonable present to myself. Then, many people kindly bought some books I’ve been wanting as presents for me. And I also went to one of the greatest used book stores in the world, The Book Nook, while visiting my relatives in Northern Michigan. The Book Nook is a paperback exchange store, where you can bring in old books you no longer want, and get credit for “new” used books. I took some books in and got $70 in credit, and each paperback I picked out was half the list price, and then deducted from my credit. I got Snow Flower and the Secret Fan, The Known World, The Secret History, Love in the Time of Cholera, Brick Lane, and How to Travel with a Salmon there, and still have $25 dollars in credit to spend at Christmas.

Books purchased (or received as gifts) this month:


Books read this month:


I’m very happy that I finished The Age of Innocence this month, the first book for my Classics Catch-up Challenge. I cut it close though, I finished it on September 30.

It’s probably hard to read the titles and authors of the books purchased tower, so now would be a good place for the link to my ongoing Polysyllabic Spree page.

(This post was brought over from emilyw.vox.com. Click here for the original post and comments.)