Little Brother: Review Haiku

Government gone wild!
Terrifying take on tech,
terror, and freedom.

Little Brother by Cory Doctorow. Tor, 2008, 382 pages.

The Mouse and His Child: Review Haiku

A clockwork fam'ly
braves villains, defeats, and time
to find their true home.

The Mouse and His Child by Russell Hoban, illustrated by David Small. Levine/Scholastic, 2001, 244 pages. Originally published 1967.

#37 on The LIST.

Swindle: Review Haiku

The Man with the Plan
makes vigilante justice
a group effort. Score!

Swindle by Gordon Korman. Scholastic, 2008, 252 pages.

P.S. Yankees suck.

Pitch Perfect: Review Haiku

Doopsie drama rocks!
But Rapkin wears his contempt
on his snarky sleeve.

Pitch Perfect: The Quest for Collegiate A Cappella Glory by Mickey Rapkin. Gotham, 2008, 275 pages.

P.S. Seriously, did no one read this book? "Competetion"? "Songrwriters"? "Cecilia" spelled two different ways IN THE SAME PARAGRAPH?

How to Build a House: Review Haiku

House as metaphor:
When your foundation crumbles,
it's time to rebuild.

How to Build a House by Dana Reinhardt. Lamb/Random, 2008, 227 pages.

I Was Told There'd Be Cake: Review Haiku

Sedaris with boobs:
Crosley riffs on ponies, locks,
evil butterflies.

I Was Told There'd Be Cake by Sloane Crosley. Riverhead, 2008, 230 pages.

The Titan's Curse: Review Haiku

Fight evil monsters,
ride cross-country, save the world:
All in a day's work.

The Titan's Curse (Percy Jackson and the Olympians #3) by Rick Riordan. Hyperion, 2007, 320 pages.

The Book of Vice: Review Haiku

Sagal lets readers
indulge in naughty pasttimes
vicariously.

The Book of Vice: Very Naughty Things (and How to Do Them) by Peter Sagal. Harper, 2007, 254 pages.

Predictably Irrational: Review Haiku

Ec 10 meets Psych 101.
Think you know why you
do things? Think again.

Predictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces that Shape Our Decisions by Dan Ariely. Harper, 2008, 280 pages.

Still alive

I spent most of my reading time this week doing work reading, so I don't have too much to blog about. I did finish two books over the weekend, so I'll post haiku (haikus? I can't believe I don't know the plural of this) on them soon.

Spent the weekend doing Stereotypical Fun Suburban Boston Family Things and, truly, having a damn fine time. Took the kids to Tanglewood to see A Prairie Home Companion (though they would surely assert that we took them there to run around and around and around the lawn and play in the rain); then took them downtown to ride the swan boats and see the duckling statues. Then, swimming! Then, ice cream! I am the Greatest Mommy Ever.

More soon . . .

Once again, she's been spying in my house

http://www.sundrymourning.com/2008/06/20/life-as-usual/

Annie on My Mind: Review Haiku

Groudbreaking when it
first came out; fortunately,
it feels dated now.

Annie on My Mind by Nancy Garden. FSG, 1982, 233 pages.

#36 on The LIST.

The Odyssey: Review Haiku

If I hear "the child
of morning, rosy-fingered
dawn" one more time, I'll . . .

The Odyssey by Homer (maybe). 8th century BC (ish). Listened to on a Playaway device.

#35 on The LIST.

Fearless Fourteen: Review Haiku

How do you know when
sumer is ycumen in?
Stephanie shows up.

Fearless Fourteen by Janet Evanovich. St. Martin's, 2008, 310 pages.

P.S. "Excrutiating"? "Garbonzo"?

Peeled: Review Haiku

Bauer's primer on
journalism starts clunkily,
but gets better.

Peeled by Joan Bauer. Putnam, 2008, 248 pages.

Forever Rose: Review Haiku

The true measure of
family is its handling
of life's messiness.

Forever Rose by Hilary McKay. McElderry/S&S, 2008, 291 pages.

P.S. Finally got my haiku shirt. I heart it (though the text lies oddly in my armpits).

Bonk: Review Haiku

Roach takes prurient
interest in the science of
sex. Twelve-year-olds cheer.

Bonk: The Curious Coupling of Science and Sex by Mary Roach. Norton, 2008, 319 pages.

Favorite Authors Meme

I've been tagged by The Bookworm for the Favorite Authors Meme.

Here are the rules:
Link to the person that tagged you, post the rules somewhere in your blog, answer the questions, and tag four people in your post. Don't forget to let the tagees know they were tagged, so leave a comment on their blog! And remember to let your tagger know that your entry is posted.

1. Who's your favorite all-time author, and why?
I suppose I should be a good English major and say Shakespeare. He sort of defines "all-time," no?
2. Who was your first favorite author, and why?
A tie between Judy Blume and Ellen Raskin, since they wrote my two favorite childhood books, Superfudge and The Westing Game, respectively.
3. Who's the most recent edition to your list of favorite authors, and why?
Emily Jenkins. She is my best example of kick-ass picture book voice in my writers'-conference workshops.
4. If someone asked you who your favorite authors were right now, what would pop out of your mouth?
E. L. Konigsburg. Mo Willems. Harper Lee. Lois Lowry. Joan Bauer. David Sedaris. Mimi Smartypants. Susan Beth Pfeffer. Andrew Sullivan. Janet Evanovich. And countless others I can't think of right now, I'm sure.

I tag:
Librarian Mom
Mindy at propernoun.net
Adrienne
Liz B at ACAFATC

Pride and Prejudice: Review Haiku

Two blowhards meet cute
in Austen's classic rom-com.
Paging Colin Firth . . .

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. Vintage, originally published 1813, 368 pages. #34 on The LIST. Listened to on a Playaway.

48-Hour Lack of Challenge

So it is becoming painfully clear that I will not be able to participate in this weekend's 48-Hour Book Challenge. I was all set to do it, and then suddenly I realized I have two birthday parties, a three-hour alumni sing, a Youth Sunday rehearsal, and . . . oh, right, two children under 5 and a husband who said (politely) HELL TO THE NO when I mentioned it to him.

But! I am going to try instead to use the month of June as a Read A Whole Heckuva Lot Month. So far it is . . . uh, not going so well (Pride and Prejudice, why are you so long?), but I'll get there, I'm sure. I have the new Joan Bauer and the new Hilary McKay and Bonk and a handful of books from The LIST, and I'm determined to get through them all. Plus I have The Odyssey waiting on Playaway whenever Elizabeth Bennett stops TALKING DEAR GOD THE ENDLESS TALKING and marries Darcy, for frak's sake.

See you soon and often.