Last Chance!!

Just a friendly reminder that our Cozy Autumn Giveaway ends tomorrow!! Enter now for your chance to win!

Contest winner!

Thank you to everyone who entered the Green Books Initiative giveaway! The winner is Ilse.

Green Books Campaign: Ethnic Knitting Exploration

This review is part of the Green Books campaign. Today 100 bloggers are reviewing 100 great books printed in an environmentally friendly way. Our goal is to encourage publishers to get greener and readers to take the environment into consideration when purchasing books. This campaign is organized by Eco-Libris, a a green company working to green up the book industry by promoting the adoption of green practices, balancing out books by planting trees, and supporting green books. A full list of participating blogs and links to their reviews is available on Eco-Libris website.

Ethnic Knitting Exploration is printed using FSC-certified paper and/or recycled paper. Personally, I am conflicted about print books. I prefer them, and I haven't switched to an electronic reader for that reason. However, I am concerned about the environmental impact of print books. Using FSC-certified and recycled paper is a greener solution without giving up the magic of turning pages or the ability to lend a favorite book to a friend.

Ethnic Knitting Exploration: Lithuania, Iceland, and Ireland by Donna Druchunas: This is a fascinating read, and a great resource for knitters interested in exploring the traditional techniques of these three cultures. This is not, however, a pattern book. Instead, Druchunas gives you all the tools you need to design a custom project based on your measurements, preferred structure and motifs, and your choice of yarn, with tips for tweaking established patterns. Along the way, she includes information about each culture's approach to knitting, traditions, and materials (e.g., an interesting definition/explanation of Lopi yarn in the Iceland section). She offers sample projects with charts for plugging in your measurements for determining the number of stitches needed for a perfect fit. Projects include fingerless mittens and raglan pullovers (Lithuania), a capelet, yoked pullover and cardigan (Iceland), and a poncho and Aran pullover (Ireland). A final section includes further information on cardigans. This book is absolutely packed with information, but the organization is brilliant and makes it very easy to design and execute a project that will fit perfectly and incorporate the elements you like best.

Source disclosure: I received this book courtesy of Nomad Press through the Green Books Initiative.

Are you an adventurous knitter? Does this book sound perfect for you? Leave a comment on this post to be entered to win it!

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This contest is open worldwide. Enter before Friday, November 13 at 5:00 p.m. Eastern time.

Angels Inc. by Bruce McBay

I liked the premise of this book: two children form a club to help people who need it, but their good intentions cause problems. The execution, however, is rather choppy, making it difficult for the reader to identify with the children. I think this is a cute early reader, and the urge to do good provides ample discussion opportunities for parents to ask children to think about how they can help others. In a brief chapter book, there were really too many attempts to help others crammed in. There is some humor, but every scene is so brief and superficial that it's not very well developed. Further, the children's motives are unclear. Clueless Wendy decides out of the blue that she'd like to help people (which is commendable, but not explained) and Zach agrees to go along with her plan as long as he can eat ice cream every day. Zach appears to understand (in a way that Wendy does not) that their actions are causing problems rather than solving them, but he doesn't seem particularly bothered by that. A plotline about neighborhood thieves is thrown in near the end, which is so abrupt I checked to be sure my copy wasn't missing the final pages.

Source disclosure: I received a review copy of this book through LibraryThing.

Cherries in Winter by Suzan Colon

Suzan Colon loses her dream job in 2008 as the economy is tanking, and part of her economizing includes learning to cook. She digs out her grandmother's recipe file and finds the sturdy, inexpensive recipes that have seen her family through generations of hard economic times. This slender volume is interspersed with those recipes and stories from Colon's family history. At first, I wondered how I would be able to identify with a woman whose idea of economizing includes skipping the $20 sushi lunches and plucking her own eyebrows instead of paying $40 a week, but Colon is humble and grateful and constantly recognizes that others are much worse off than she is. She also realized that her days at the magazine were numbered as the economic downturn began, so her economizing begins well before she loses her job. The recipes are meat-heavy and old-fashioned and didn't appeal to me, but they tell a good story. The title refers to the exorbitant price Colon's grandmother, Matilda, spent to have cherries in winter, despite the family's financial troubles, referring to the idea that to survive hard times, sometimes you must act rich, even for a moment, by indulging in a small luxury.

This was an inspirational little book, and a fascinating look at generations of women who have suffered through hard times without losing their positive outlook on life.

Source disclosure: I received a bound galley courtesy of Doubleday.

Homer's Odyssey by Gwen Cooper

Homer's Odyssey by Gwen Cooper is subtitled "A Fearless Feline Tale, or How I Learned About Love and Life with a Blind Wonder Cat," but it may as well be subtitled "THE stocking stuffer for the animal lover on your Christmas list." I was delighted to receive an advance copy, and I was not disappointed. With a foreword by the veterinarian who rescued Homer, this gentle, inspiring story tells how Gwen's life became entwined with that of a very special cat. Homer was brought to Dr. Khuly to be euthanized because a severe infection would require removal of both his eyes. Instead, Dr. Khuly performed the surgery, then searched high and low for someone willing to take on a blind cat. Gwen Cooper, a twentysomething staying with a friend (having recently lost the boyfriend who had supplemented her nonprofit salary), was reluctant to take on a third cat, but something about Homer spoke to her, and she brought the little guy home. This memoir documents the twelve years following Cooper's adoption of Homer, and it tells her life story partly through the lessons she learned from her brave, extraordinary, loving cat, as she tries to become the person she wants to be in career and relationships.

I happen to be a cat person, and one of my cats was born blind, so I enjoyed this story on a unique level, but I was also predisposed to judge it with a critical eye because I'm not much of a memoir fan. Homer's story is riveting, however, and Cooper tells it well. Her own story is no less interesting; for example, she moves back in with her parents to save on rent while she starts on the bottom rung of a new career - a brave act in its own way. She considers Homer to have inspired her to be brave and open to the world around her. Her account of 9/11 and its aftermath (she lived and worked very close to the World Trade Center) is particularly impressive. I could have done with a bit less gushing about her boyfriend, but I suppose that's to be expected, and it was relatively painless to skim past. Homer is the star in this book, overcoming his disability with aplomb to become a loving companion whose leaps of faith amaze everyone around him.

If you know a cat person, or an animal lover, you can stop looking now: Homer's Odyssey is undoubtedly the perfect holiday gift.

Source disclosure: I received an advance copy courtesy of Random House.

Cozy Autumn Giveaway!

Giveaway time again here at On My Bookshelf...

Autumn is my FAVORITE time of year hands down! I love the changing colors, I love the leaves everywhere. I love watching my kids play in the leaves, trick or treating, Thanksgiving, etc. Just love the coziness of it all! So in honor of my favorite season, I've put together a fun giveaway.

I have a hardcover of Kate Jacob's The Friday Night Knitting Club as well as an ARC of Knit Two! One winner will get BOTH books. I'm going to throw in a gift that goes along with it as well, just to add to the coziness (hint: it has to do with warm beverages).

Contest rules:
1) Leave a comment WITH AN EMAIL ADDRESS. If you don't leave an email in the comment, you will be disqualified. In your comment, please let me know if you happen to be a knitter as well as a book lover and I might throw an extra little surprise in the box if you win!
2) Leave meaningful comments on any other posts (old or new posts) for extra entries. One entry per comment.
3) Open only to US and Canada addresses.
4) Contest open Nov. 2nd through Nov. 2oth.

The Lost Hours by Karen White

The Lost Hours by Karen White is quite the change of pace from my recent seasonal YA and middle-grade reading. But actually a very nice change of pace. I needed something different and my October book club fit the bill.

I've seen several of White's books reviewed on various blogs and they always seem to appeal to me when I read about them. I was excited to have the opportunity to finally read one.

White introduces the reader to Piper Mills, an accomplished competitive equestrian who is still recovering from a tragic fall six years earlier. She lost her parents in a car accident when she was six years old and was raised by her grandparents. Early in the book, her grandparents both pass away leaving her with her grandmother's angel charm necklace and a key to something unknown. She finds several things in her grandparents' house that lead her to wonder who her grandmother really was and what her story was. Piper follows a trail of clues to her grandmother's childhood friend Lillian, now an elderly woman with grandchildren and great-grandchildren of her own. Disguised as a geneologist looking into "someone's" family, she tries to delve into the past and figure out what could have torn these two woman apart and how all of that relates to the grandmother she knew and grew up with.

This book is told from three perspectives: Piper's, Lillian's, and Lillian's granddaughter Helen. It also goes back and forth between present day and what happened in the late 1930's between the two women. The past is told by using old scrapbook entries as the storytelling mechanism so it is never difficult to follow where you are or who is speaking at the time.

This book is very much about family relationships and "broken" people. I think just about ever character in this book has had something tragic happen to them in one way or another and they are still trying to heal and get to a better place mentally. Though, the book itself is not all together depressing. The thing I found most interesting is the backdrop of the late 1930's in Savannah, Georgia and the issues of race and segregation that were apparent. While I definitely wouldn't categorize this book as historical fiction, there are definitely elements here that would fit.

The pace of this book is quite slow, you have to have the expectation of that going in or you may lose patience. The prose is very lyrical and descriptive. So much so, that it's annoying is some spots (at least to me), but again, a nice change of pace from my current spooky reading. Flowers and gardening are a theme throughout the book as is the idea that women are the storytellers in life and we should and must pass down their stories to their daughters.

I'm not sure I've done a good job of making this book sound appealing. If you like lyrical stories about women and familial relationships, this is definitely the book for you! My book club seemed to like it overall, though it was quite slow for most people.

Other reviews:
J. Kaye's Book Blog, Bloggin' 'bout Books, Girls Just Reading, The Tome Traveller

Source disclosure: I purchased this book.

Picture Book Friday: Pumpkin Baby and Dangerous Alphabet

Although, Jane Yolen's Pumpkin Baby isn't really a "halloween" book, I'm throwing it up here because it has pumpkins in it and I need to get it reviewed. :-) It's been sitting on my shelf for way too long!

Boy, Jane Yolen sure is a prolific children's book author! I just searched Barnes and Noble because I was going to make the statement that "Pumpkin Baby is Jane Yolen's most recent published book." Good thing I checked that fact. Because according to the B&N website, this is actually no. 22 on her list. That is, she has 21 other books already out or coming out in the near future, including some very fun looking new "How Do Dinosaurs..." books!

Pumpkin Baby starts out with a three year old little girl imagining what a pumpkin baby might look like. Each year as she gets older, she imagines a new baby (cabbage baby, stork baby) until her mother has a new baby when she's six. The new baby is nothing like she pictured, but in a good way!

Very sweet book with fun adorable illustrations. Perfect for our house right now as we await arrival of Baby #3 in January. Though the entire book isn't about fall or pumpkins, there are several pages that illustrate both so it could nonchalantly be categorized as a "fall" book. :-)

Source Disclosure: This book was sent to me for review from Samantha at Penguin.

The Dangerous Alphabet by Neil Gaiman and illustrated by Gris Grimly is just about the opposite of Pumpkin Baby. ;-) It was recommended to me by Carl from Stainless Steel Droppings when I joined the R.I.P. IV Reading Challenge. This is definitely not a book for younger children. But I believe older picture book readers and in particular boys will get a real kick out of this, especially around this time of year. It could be paired quite well with Goodnight Goon by Michael Rex.

The Dangerous Alphabet follows two children and their pet gazelle through the depths of a crazy underworld filled with monsters, animals, and pirates as they face a macabre alphabet adventure. Grimly's illustrations are utterly imaginative and you can't stop looking at them. Every time I take a look, I see something else. Each letter page seems to have an object or items in the picture that starts with that letter (ie: an apple for A, a snake for S, an x-ray for X). You and your child can have fun looking for all the things that represent each letter. Also, several pages of the book contain illustrations or early drawings of the actual pages of the book as well as one where a ghost is reading a copy of The Dangerous Alphabet to a group of children.

I say this book is not for young readers for the simple fact that many of the illustrations show children chained up or being dragged off by monsters. Definitely not appropriate for the preschool sector, but perfectly enjoyable for adults and older children.

Source disclosure: Borrowed from the library.

Picture Book Thursday: Bear-ly There by Rebekah Raye

Today we're featuring Bear-ly There by Rebekah Raye on Picture Book Thursday.

Raye has written a wonderful story with a great message about enjoying nature but not interfering with it.

Bear-ly There tells the story of a curious bear just awake from hibernating all winter long. He begins to forage and discovers that bird seed and grain found in human backyards provide quite a tasty treat. While he seems to leave animals alone, he creates quite a mess all over the neighborhood. Charlie and his family are afraid the bear will go after their pet geese. Other neighbors want to call animal control or shoot the bear themselves. While Charlie does not like the bear visiting his yard, he does some research and learns that there are things people can do to keep the bear from wanting to come into their yards. Charlie is more concerned about the bear staying in his natural habitat in the woods and finding his food there.

Charlie posts his newfound knowledge in town for all his neighbors to see. Eventually, the bear decides it is more interesting to stay in the woods. Every now and then Charlie still gets a glimpse of the bear just on the edge of the woods. But the bear always stays where he belongs.

I really like the message in this book. I like that instead of taking an active approach to getting rid of the bear like many of the adults in the neighborhood wanted, it was much better for the bear if the humans just took steps to direct him back to his home in the woods. Such a nice, gentle approach to the problem. And I like that Raye is showing a child can learn this information and pass it on to adults.

Raye also illustrates this book with wonderfully artistic drawings. As I always seem to say about Tilbury House books, the artwork is so great! The images are so much more realistic and artistic from many children's picture books which feature cartoon-ish images (not that I don't like those too). It's refreshing to have some more realistic images sometimes.

About the Author:
Rebekah Raye is an artist beloved for her bird and animal paintings and sculpture. Her warm, expressive work is derived from her affinity with the natural world around her at her studio and home in East Blue Hill, Maine (where she had a bear visitor not too long ago). She illustrated Thanks to the Animals by Allen Sockabasin and is the author and illustrator of The Very Best Bed. Rebekah shares her skills and her love of art in workshops for adults and children and makes frequent school visits. You can learn more about Rebekah at www.rebekahraye.com.

This post is part of the Bear-ly There book blog tour! And you can read more about the book at Nature Moms tomorrow!

The author has graciously offered to contribute some of her beautiful wildlife artwork (see samples of her work here), in addition to the signed books Tilbury House will be giving away. So the publisher will be giving out a total of 10 fantastic prizes during the tour!

Blog Comment Prizes
Tilbury House will draw 9 lucky winners from all of those who leave comments on the participating tour posts from (October 16-30) to win one of the following prizes:

- A set of four art cards (2 sets available)
- A signed wildlife art print
- An original sketch from Bear-ly There
- An original sketch from The Very Best Bed
- An original sketch from Thanks to the Animals
- A copy of Bear-ly There, The Very Best Bed, or Thanks to the Animals, signed by Rebekah Raye
Winners will be announced on Oct. 31, US/Canada addresses only, please.

Twitter Prize
Everyone that participates in the Twitter Book Party, and/or posts anything about the tour using the hashtag #BearlyThere from October 15-30 will be entered to win a complete set of Bear-ly There, Thanks to the Animals, and The Very Best Bed, all signed by Rebekah Raye. Winners will be announced on Oct. 31, US/Canada addresses only, please.

So again, this contest is through the publisher, not this blog. Please leave comments here to be entered. And the publisher is will announce (or contact you) if you are a winner.

Source disclosure: I received a galley copy of Bear-ly There from Sarah at Tilbury House to review as part of the book tour.