Hi y’all. It’s time for an overdue report on what I’ve been reading these days. Being a bookworm, and having the kind of job with long spells of nothing to do, I have the luxury of reading in a very quiet office for at least a couple hours per day. Not to mention my reading time on the bus and train headed home in the evenings. And don’t let us forget reading time at home at night or on the weekends, with a tasty treat nearby and a warm pile of pillows and blankets all about. Okay, no more warm pile of blankets moving into the summer, but you get the idea.
My last book review was over two months ago (shivering in horror), and I’m happy to say that my friend Jenny noticed the thundering silence on the literature front and gently kicked my butt. Thanks Jenny for reminding me that writing about food is not my only calling in life and that I need to keep the ‘everything’ in the ‘Everything Blog.’
Anyway, if you’re one of those people (like me) who panics when there’s no book lying around, nab these from your library and enjoy! All three of these books are optimistic, positive, and altogether perfect for keeping your spirits high during this cold and grey spring. Can I mention that it snowed here in Chicago just last week? Yep.
Cheaper by the Dozen (by Frank and Ernestine Gilbreth)
Please note–this book has absolutely nothing to do with the movie starring Steve Martin. Nothing at all except for the fact that there are 12 children involved. I’m appalled that the movie producers were allowed to use that title when the subject matter is entirely different. What is this world coming to??
Anyway, I’m hopping off my high horse to add that the sequel, ‘Belles on Their Toes’, is equally awesome, recounting how the kids adapt and manage when their father dies suddenly of a heart attack and their mother has to go back to work. The kids form a Budget Committee, haggle for discounts to make ends meet, buy food in bulk, and truly come into their own as they live out their father’s independent, fighting spirit, always with an eye on the humorous side of life.
A Girl Named Zippy (by Haven Kimmel)
It is told in the most delightful way–though recounted from the perspective of the author as a little girl, the writing is clearly meant for adults, just like Angela’s Ashes. However, there is much less tragedy than you will find in Angela’s Ashes, in case that comparison put you off. Yes, this memoir could easily have been spun as a morose tale of difficulty and sadness with a good dose of ‘woe is me’ tossed in for good measure, but the author takes a completely different direction, and through her series of childhood vignettes manages to infuse her story with optimism and a happy kind of energy.
There are shadows of dark things around–a neighbor boy who is cruel to his pets, a creepy old woman across the way, an abusive teacher–but the memoir itself is full of light and humor and joie de vivre.
I laughed out loud many times, and I was moved to tears by it as well. Maybe because I was born in Indiana, the Call of the Midwest really hit home. I’ve met these people she talks about, I’ve seen their living rooms and I’ve had beer in their yards. I recommend this book wholeheartedly.
Up The Down Staircase (by Bel Kaufman)
Please read this. Really. It’s that funny. It’s a fictional account of a teacher’s first year teaching school. Sylvia Barrett is fresh out of college, full of idealism, and ready to take on her first batch of kids at Calvin Coolidge and inspire them with a love for literature. What she encounters is a classroom full of
This novel tells its story very uniquely, combining memos from the Principal, notes from kids that were tossed in the trash, notes from the suggestion box that Sylvia starts, and Sylvia’s personal letters to a college friend. At first I was worried that the story wouldn’t come together and would seem patchy and random, however Kaufman weaves all these ‘materials’ together beautifully into a story that is extremely funny, extremely insightful, and extremely touching all at once. Give it a few chapters, and you will be absolutely hooked to this masterpiece.
What have all y’all been reading lately? I’m always looking for something new to pop into my library request list!
View Comments (74)
Wow, all three of these books sound really good :) I loved the movie Cheaper by the Dozen (the old one) so I am sure I would enjoy the book. :) I just read Girl of the
Limberlost again for the umpteenth time - have you read it? Such a great book.
I'll have to check out the old movie, because I haven't seen it and it sounds like a good time. And no, I haven't read (or heard of) "The Girl of the Limberlost." Adding it to my library hold requests now--my library is slow, so I'll probably get to it in the next month. =)
Oh! If you are going to read Girl of the Limberlost, then you first need to read "Freckles". Both are excellent books, I've read them dozens of times. :-)
Noted! I'll read "Freckles" first. Yay for good book recommendations from friends!
I used to read more...and then Tivo came into my life. Maybe it's time for more books and less Tivo.
I remember seeing the original movie Cheaper By The Dozen years ago, and loved it. I'm reading Adriana Trigiani's Don't Sing At The Table right now. It's a beautifully written book about the wisdom she learned from her grandmothers, and she ties it in to everyday life perfectly.
Thanks Joanne--another book to add to my library hold requests. Your little recap makes it sound like a book I would really love.
Zippy is awesome! I loved that book so much, and like you, a laughed and cried all the way through it.
I LOVED the Guernsey Literary Potato Peel Pie Society - definitely one of my favorite fiction reads recently. It's written in a similar style as Up the Down Staircase (told through a collection of correspondences), and it's also an optimistic story told in a setting of hardship (wartime on Guernsey island). I've never read any of the three you recommended - can't wait to add them to my list!
Thanks Erin!! I will request it at the library--I love getting recommendations from people whose taste I trust like you. =)
I second that! I forgot that one in my recommendations. Very great book!
Ooh, I didn't realize there was a companion book to Cheaper by the Dozen! It's one of my sister-in-law's favorite books. I'll have to get her the other one for her birthday!
She will LOVE the sequel--it's just as enchanting as the first book!
I love "Cheaper by the Dozen" and "Belles on Their toes"! It's been years since I've reread them thought. The last book sounds like quite a fun one.
Thank you so much for visiting my blog. I was wondering why my Tasty Kitchen friend box was blowing up. I'm so glad I stopped by here. I loved reading your book reviews. I would never have picked those books out of a line up to read, but I'm so intrigued by your reviews that I think I'm going to check out "A Girl Named Zippy" soon. I think our high school did a play called Up the Down Staircase, I wonder if it's the same story. I'm reading a young adult book called The Highest Power of Lucky. VERY GOOD even if it's for kids.
Thanks again! Now I have a new place to find good reads (and pictures of cute kids).
Cool! I really like your taste in food (your recipes all look delicious!), so I'm glad the TastyKitchen featured member thing threw me your way. =)
Hi, Jenna!
Great reads! (In my humble opinion, books are always better than their "movie versions.") Also, your little Winston-Churchill-cheeked cutie (re: Peekaboo) melted my heart...
My latest read was Alton Brown's cookbook/travelogue entitled, "Feasting On Asphalt." Many happy memories and excellent recipes, too. I'm also reading The Narrated Bible in Chronological Order (by F. LaGard Smith) -- puts a whole new perspective on things!
Take care,
Kimby
Oooh, I'll request Alton Brown's travelogue. It sounds like a fun read, and I'm never one to turn down excellent recipes.
I will see if my library has these on CD! I do almost no book reading nowadays since I listen to them all day at work, but I did just finish reading MOON OVER MANIFEST