End-of-Summer Mysteries

I love summer and it's sliding away too quickly. But, before it's over, there's still time to read a great mystery. While there are a lot of fun mysteries for kids and teens, this series is one of my favorites.

The Enola Holmes Mysteries by Nancy Springer are set in England, where Enola - sister of Sherlock Holmes - sets off alone to solve her own set of mysteries.

In the first book, The Case of the Missing Marquess, Enola discovers her mother has disappeared. She travels to London in disguise to find out what has happened. Along the way, she gets caught up in the kidnapping of a young marquess. Now she must piece together the clues and solve the mystery.

Kids, especially ages 8-12, will enjoy this mystery series. You'll be cheering for Enola Holmes all the way.

Zeal of Zebras

My new favorite book of our recent arrivals is A ZEAL OF ZEBRAS by Woop Studios. This ABC book is published by Chronicle Books, one of my favorite publishers of well-designed, creative books.

A ZEAL OF ZEBRAS is "An Alphabet of Collective Nouns." In other words, those cool, often strange group names for certain kinds of animals. We all know about a Herd of Antelope or a Flock of Geese. But have you heard of an Aurora of Polar Bears? Or a Leap of Leopards?

Just guess what a group of cobras is called. Or Pandas. It's pretty cool! But, you'll have to look at the book to find out the answers.

A ZEAL OF ZEBRAS is graphically gorgeous and the collective nouns are surprising and fun. Adults and kids alike will enjoy this picture book.

Graduation Day

As June rolls in, graduations roll out. This year, my youngest cousin graduates from high school. Her's will probably be the last high school graduation I attend until my own daughter's graduation! It's hard for me to fathom my child entering high school, much less graduating. So, I will choose to focus on graduations in general, which are always fun occasions to celebrate.

Here are some of my top picks for GRADUATION GIFT BOOKS:

F in Exams by Richard Benson - The book's subtitle is "The Very Best Totally Wrong Test Answers." It's hard to believe these are actual answers that real people gave on tests, but they are. That's what makes them so dang funny. This is the book I bought for my cousin and I had to buy one for myself too. (Jenny, ignore that last sentence if you are reading my blog.)

The Naked Roommate by Harlan Cohen - The title alone is intriguing and promises some laughs, but this book actually has some very good advice for those about to go off to college for the first time.

The Elements of Style: 50th Anniversary Edition by Strunk and White - OK, you may have been forced to buy this book at some point, but it's really quite helpful, especially for those would-be English majors. (Elements of Style is also available in a fancy, illustrated edition.)

Shoot for the Moon: Lessons on Life from a Dog Named Rudy by Corinne Humphrey - Here's my new feel-good, reach-for-the-stars, inspirational graduation book. It's simple yet lovely. Plus, it's based on a real-life rescue dog that overcame abuse and neglect with the help and love of his owner. (Have I mentioned I like dogs?)

Oh, the Places You'll Go by Dr. Seuss - This graduation gift favorite is back with a new sparkly-covered Party Edition. It's still a wonderful story with inspiration, honesty, and Dr. Seuss' rhythmic rhyme.

The Healthy College Cookbook by Alexandra Nimetz - Last buy not least, this cookbook is a great graduation gift. It's aimed at college students who will appreciate it's promise of being "Quick. Cheap. Easy."

Think Spring!

Enough already with the snow, cold and ice. It's March and time to Think Spring! Time for some positive thoughts in the direction of sun, flowers, leaves on the trees, green grass, and mud.

Here are some great books to get you in the mood for springtime!

It's Spring by Linda Glaser - Cut-paper illustrations make this book look almost 3-D.

Hooray for Spring! by Kazuo Iwamura - Three young squirrels explore the spring world around them.

Fletcher and the Springtime Blossoms by Julia Rawlinson - Fletcher, a cute little fox discovers spring.

Snow Rabbit, Spring Rabbit by Il Sung Na - I mentioned this book in my snow round-up. But it's worth a spring mention too. Super cute rabbit.

Make Way for Ducklings by Robert McCloskey - In this classic story, mama and papa duck need to find a safe place to raise their ducklings.

The Construction Alphabet Book by Jerry Pallotta - Because spring means the start of "construction season," here's a good book to read.

Mud by Mary Lyn Ray - This book, illustrated by Minnesota artist Lauren Stringer, celebrates a common spring phenomenon.

In My Meadow by Sara Gillingham - I love these little board books, many of which are perfect for spring.

The Tale of Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter - Another classic to get you into a springtime mood.

There's still plenty of snow on the ground here in Minnesota. But, the birds are singing every morning and the quality of light is much brighter. We are definitely heading in the right direction - toward Spring!

Snowy Books

Yesterday and today, another foot of snow fell here in St. Paul. Our winter snow total so far is 73", which is far above the average of 52" a year. And it's not even March, which often is the snowiest month!

I have been doing plenty of complaining. But, I've decided to stop. Instead, I'm going to to list my favorite books about SNOW!

The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats. I love how the little boy tries to keep a snowball in his coat pocket only to find a wet spot the next morning. (Note to would-be snowball keepers - Put it in the freezer.)

Snow by Cynthia Rylant, illustrated by Lauren Stringer. I love everything written by Cynthia Rylant. Also, Lauren Stringer is a local illustrator who is very talented.

Winter is the Warmest Season by Lauren Stringer. Stringer wrote and illustrated this book which is about all the warm aspects of winter like hot chocolate and roaring fires.

Grandmother Winter by Phyllis Root, illustrated by Beth Krommes. I love the woodcut illustrations in this book. Plus, Root's text is so lyrical.

Snow Rabbit, Spring Rabbit: A Book of Changing Seasons by Il Sung Na. This new picture book, which has lovely art (and a super cute rabbit character), shows what different animals do during the winter.

Katy and the Big Snow by Virginia Lee Burton. Another classic. We sure could use Katy and her snowplowing skills today!

Snowflake Bentley by Jacqueline Briggs Martin, illustrated by Mary Azarian. True story about Wilson Bentley, a man who studied and photographed snowflakes.

Flu Season

It's February and Flu Season has arrived. My daughter and I are home sick with the flu. High temps, sore throat, cough, congestion, the works. Ugh!

Note to self: Get flu shot next year.

Being stuck at home in bed has one advantage - it's a good time to catch up on some reading. Here's what my 12 (almost 13) year-old daughter is reading:

Pandora Gets Angry by Carolyn Hennesy. This is the 5th book in a good series about Pandora and the seven evils that escape from the box she opens.

The Lost Hero by Rick Riordan. First book in his new series about Camp Half-Blood.

Here's what I'm reading:

The Luck of the Buttons by Anne Ylvisaker. I got an advance reader copy of Anne's new book and I'm just starting it now. It's about a "luckless" family and the one young Button whose luck begins to change. Anne is a friend and I'm excited to read her new novel.

In Cod We Trust by Eric Dregni. I asked for this one for Christmas. Eric and his wife, Katy, move to Trondheim, Norway for a year on a Fulbright Fellowship. While there, Katy gives birth to their first child, a boy named Eilif. Some of my own relatives come from (and still live in) Trondheim. I've never been there but my parents have and I'm checking it out vicariously through my folks and this book.

Time for some Theraflu and sleep. Good reading. Goodnight.

Holiday Happenings

We are in full holiday swing at Micawber's. Today at work, the phone started ringing before we even opened and rarely stopped. There was a steady flow of people all day. And UPS delivered eight big boxes of special order books. It may be too soon to tell, but so far this holiday season seems busier than the last two years.

Are people feeling more fiscally confident? Are they just sick of not buying stuff? Or are people realizing how excellent books are as gifts? Whatever the reason, I am very happy that our little bookstore is busy.

The biggest seller so far is The Autobiography of Mark Twain, vol. 1, which we actually have in stock (for the moment), but they are going fast!! This is followed closely by Cleopatra: A Life by Stacy Schiff.

I love helping people find good books for gifts. Since I'm the "children's book person" at the store, I usually get questions like, "What's a good book for a 7 year old girl who is a good reader?" or "What's a good book for a boy who loved The Lightening Thief?"

But today I had a new challenge. A woman came in needing to buy five books for a gift exchange. This is the information she gave me:

- Man, 60's, likes military and mysteries

- Woman, 60's, doesn't read much

- Woman, 40's, eccentric

- Woman, 30's, interested in child psych

- Woman, 30's, likes Oprah books

I love a challenge! We walked around the store, I pulled out books, and we had a pile within 10 minutes. It was a lot of fun.

Here are our matches:

- Monuments Men by Robert Edsel

- Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson

- Room by Emma Donoghue

- The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake by Aimee Bender

- Major Pettigrew's Last Stand by Helen Simonson

On the kid's side of things, today I recommended The Last Apprentice series, The Book of Three, Otis, The Alchemyst, Ivy and Bean, Best Pet of All, and The Carrot Seed, among many others.

If you need book recommendations, we are your people. We'll have your gift list taken care of in no time. Happy Holidays!