The Case of the Fiendish Flapjack Flop (Humpty Dumpty Jr., Hardboiled Detective)
Written by Nate Evans and Paul Hindman. Illustrated by Vince Evans.
Special Guest Review by Max, Age 8
Humpty Dumpty Jr. Hardboiled Detective is about a pancake named Johnny Cakes. At the beginning of this story Johnny Cakes breaks out of jail to form a gang and Humpty Dumpty must track him down and put him back in jail. You will also meet an Ice Cream Dragon and a kidnapped woman and have several other adventures. Will Johnny Cakes get away with his scheme or will Humpty Dumpty and his side kick rat save the day? You will have to read this great book to find the answer for yourself.
Grace di Govanni! Grace is a sixteen year old girl with broad dreams or shall I say Broadway dreams. She wants to be a star but she has lots of problems to deal with on the way to becoming a star. Some of her problems are loads of homework, an over protective family, a super sensitive boyfriend and a girl who gets the lead part in the school play every time because her mom paid for the theater to be built.
This year the school is performing Grace’s favorite play, Grease! Grace desperately wants the lead girl part of Sandy. There is a new hope a Broadway director is going to judge who gets what part and he is also going to direct the play. But will Grace get the part? . . . I hope.
This book is called Grace’s Turn, by Christy Carlson Romano, who played Bell in the Broadway play Beauty and the Beast.
I just finished reading the book Honolulu, by Alan Brennert. It was good. Fun, sort of light, interesting tie-ins to factual historical events, and shed some light upon Korean culture-both in Korea and in Hawaii, during the 1920s and 30s. Last year I read Brennert's book Molokai, about the people with Hansen's Disease, also known as Leprosy. I liked Molokai better, if only because of one, dark secret about my reading preferences:
I like train-wreck books.
Huh? You know, books about subjects that make you squirm. Books about things people would rather not know about. Books that expose facts and secrets that public figures have tried to sweep under the rug. Books about things that happened that nobody's proud of. I have no idea when this started, but after I finished reading Honolulu, I thought "Well, that was good, but not totally interesting. His first book was better. Why? Oh. YEAH! I should write a blog about the train wrecks I've read in the last year or so." Here goes.
The Swamp
This book, by Michael Grunwald, tells the story of the rape and pillage of the state of Florida. It starts by explaining how the 2000 recount/ election Supreme Court decision might have been the nail in the coffin for any hope of eventual environmental reclamation in Florida. Then, it goes all the way back, like a Michener novel, to the ecological formation of Florida and works its way forward.
I wrote my major graduate paper for landscape history class on Florida. I love Florida. I have since I was a little girl, and skinned my knees getting off the bus on my first trip to Disney World. I'm part of the problem, though. My ambivalent feelings bubble to the surface every time I visit my parents, in their place in Ft. Myers. Their house backs up to the Six Mile Cypress Slough. You can see the Slough from the air when you fly into the RSW airport. It is one of the only natural features left.
Most people don't really know that Florida, south of Lake Okeechobee is naturally one big swamp. A "River of Grass," as author Marjory Stoneman Douglas wrote. The Swamp takes you through Florida's history, from the removal of the native Seminoles, to Big Sugar, to the post World War Two real estate boom, the arrival of "The Mouse," and into the present day. I wonder if Grunwald will put out a new edition with an appendix of the great housing bust of the late 2000s. It would be fitting.
The Colony
I don't remember if I read Molokai first or The Colony first, but they're both fascinating. The Colony is a detailed nonfiction account of the Leprosy colony on an isolated strip of one of the least-visited Hawaiian Islands. I picked it up in the airport one time, because I needed something to hold my attention for a long plane flight. I gravitated toward the Train Wreck. The story of Father Damien, the Catholic Priest who risked his life, and eventually succumbed to leprosy, to help the captives of Molokai, interwoven with technical information about the disease, and the cruelty with which the Molokai colony was treated is both interesting and embarrassing.
The Imperial Cruise
My Dad and I listened to this book on CD while driving to Florida a couple of weeks ago. Talk about embarrassing. I tweeted, not long after finishing it, "I just listened to this book that makes me think that Teddy Roosevelt was a crook!" That definitely sparked a conversation, one which was nearly impossible to carry on via the 140 character per tweet limit. For a summary of the book, I'd recommend reading the excellent book review in the New York Times, found here.
The title of the review is "The Queasy Side of Theodore Roosevelt's Diplomatic Voyage." The reviewer ISN'T KIDDING. Suffice to say, I've never heard/read so much talk about racial views of a particular time period or people, including anything about the Third Reich, as I have in this book. Some would say that the perspectives presented should be given some slack, due to the time period. Others say that the Author's perspective colors the narrative, too much. The New York Times book review gives a thoughtful opinion about that, and some more information about the facts presented. Example: that the US was waterboarding Filipinos way back when, same as in recent times. There was even, horror of horrors, a "patriotic song" about it. The NYT reviewer reminds us that, while many of the facts presented in the book aren't common knowledge, they have seen the light of day before this book. Perhaps this book will make the shocking facts "common knowledge" so that we can learn from them, once and for all. We'll see.
I say, the book is an eerie look back at how history keeps repeating itself, over and over and over again. My verdict, after reading the book: "Diplomatic" policy in the US, 1895-1905, yeah, TRAIN WRECK. Again, an enlightening and completely embarrassing book.
The Last Town on Earth
Another joyful book,The Last Town on Earth, by Thomas Mullen, is about the Flu epidemic of 1918, as it affects a fictional small town (based on actual small towns) in a remote mill town of the Pacific Northwest. The town barricades itself in a quarantine against all outside interaction. That means nobody can leave for booze, food, or "other comforts."
Drama ensues when a sick, starving person tries to get through the barricade. The town is then forced to take action, and the resulting twists and turns are heartbreaking and surprising. Let's just say that the flu that eventually ravages the town doesn't come from where you think it comes from.
I like to read happy books, too. But the train wrecks really hold my attention. What are your favorite "train wreck" books? Books that make you squirm, but that you can't put down?
The other day, Kathleen and I were discussing the new book "Committed," by Elizabeth Gilbert. We both agreed that we enjoyed it. My mother has said to me "I don't want to read about somebody's marriage." Well, the book's not about her marriage. It basically ends with the marriage. It is really about thinking about marriage, deciding to get married, and how other cultures perceive marriage.
It's a memoir, so we see everything through the lens of Gilbert's personal experiences. Therefore, if you read "Eat, Pray, Love," her most famous memoir, and you didn't like it, or thought she was whiny, you won't like this one, because she has the same voice. If you did like "Eat, Pray, Love," you'll probably enjoy "Committed," because it invites considering similar life questions: What do I want to do with my life? With whom do I want to spend it? Where do I want to live? What are my values?
There are some people who won't read a book just because it is a bestseller. They didn't read "Eat, Pray, Love" because of that. I held out for a long time on that one, too, for the same reason.
The Mighty Bestseller
This is entirely my own opinion, but something every bookseller, or every avid reader probably confronts at one point or another: why do I read? And, do I really want to read something that everyone else on the planet is reading right now? There's something nice about being able to discuss a book with virtually everyone you meet. But, there's something close and private about discovering a book that you like that NOBODY else is reading, or has read. It is like a little secret with yourself.
Reading a book that isn't on the bestseller list confers its own status, consciously or unconsciously. It says "I'm reading this because I like to read. Not because my friend told me to." It says "I can find little gems of printed word all by myself, thank you very much." It says "I'm an individual. I don't follow the crowd."
What I've found, though, when I refuse to read bestsellers, just because they're bestsellers, is that sometimes I miss out on really good books. When I finally get around to reading one of those, I say to myself "Why was I the LAST person on earth to read this?"
How about you? Do you read bestsellers often? Do you pause before picking one up?
We have a large selection of Valentine's Day gifts for every taste. Books, prints, post cards, and more! We also have local, handmade Valentines for your sweetie.
Don't want to spend $80 on roses that are, well, already "at the end of their lives" when you give them to your sweetie? What about a Pomegranate Books gift certificate, instead? We'll even wrap it up for you in sparkly paper!
Delight your favorite bookworm with his or her favorite gift: an all-expenses paid trip to Pomegranate Books!
In 1967 a gentle but determined woman began a quiet revolution which transformed the Western way of viewing death. Dame Cicely Saunders, a trained nurse, social worker, and physician, opened St Christopher Hospice in South London, England, to provide for the physical, mental, social and spiritual needs of the dying. She encouraged residents to surround themselves with the people, belongings, and even pets which made them most comfortable. This was a departure from the existing custom of allowing few visitors (and certainly no children!) on acute medical wards. (I can still remember getting permission to bring my newborn nephew in for a single visit in the weeks leading up to my mother's death).
Our own Lower Cape Fear Hospice and Life Care Center has been in existence since 1980 providing care to the dying and support to the families and friends at their sides. This support continues after death and includes a variety of grief support programs. One of the most important is the Sunshine Grief Camp, providing age appropriate activities for children grades 1 through 6. Kids enjoy a fun camp experience while using expressive arts and play to deal with the grieving process.
Pomegranate Books is providing a small ray of sunshine to the campers by supplying copies of Angel Catcher for Kids, a workbook for children to use and keep as a remembrance. Our fundraiser last fall raised over $150.00 toward the purchase of books, but we still need to purchase additional books so each of the 36 campers this year can have a copy. Please see our display in the store or speak with any staff member if you wish to contribute.
We hope you call on the wonderful folks at Lower Cape fear Hospice and Life Care Center when you are faced with issues of death, dying and grief, or if you wish to experience a profound and meaningful volunteer experience. We are fortunate to live in an area where we can take advantage of the work of such dedicated, giving individuals.
So, I'll be honest, I have a hard time watching what I eat. I often get tempted by chips, cake or pretty much anything else that's around me! That's why I got so excited when I came across Eat This, Not That!It's not a diet book; it's a guide to making the right decisions about what you eat!
The book details what to order when out at your favorite restaurants and fast food joints. It gives three to four recommendations on what to eat when out, and three or four menu items to avoid. It also has a section on holidays and special occasions, so you can make smart choices.
My favorite part of the book is the supermarket guide. It breaks down food categories, everything from bread and cheese, to frozen dinners and breakfast condiments. It's a great tool for the grocery store. I take it with me when I go shopping, so I can compare my choices.
You shouldn't read this book, you should use it! Bring it with you when you go out to eat and when you go grocery shopping. Before long, you will be making good eating choices and feeling great!
Welcome to Pomegranate Books' new blog! We will be posting lots of great stuff, including events we are having, books we are loving and those we are getting excited for and much more! Check out our upcoming events and poll questions on the left!
As always, we welcome any feedback from our loyal customers. If there's anything you'd like to see on our blog, please let us know!
