Category Archives: Books

Our book reviews, thoughts about reading, and book recommendations.

Minor acts of heroism

I gave Moomin all the swag I brought him from GeekGirlCon, and after plowing through a big stack of comic books he got very excited at three of them. “Mom! These are the best comic books EVER!!!” They were the … finish reading Minor acts of heroism

Posted in Books, Comics, Creativity | Tagged , , | 337 Comments

The boring parent

For the past few weeks I’ve been injured and/or ill, and not the most entertaining parent. The most I was able to do was drive Moomin to the library. For a few weekends we just laid around reading. We both … finish reading The boring parent

Posted in Books, Comics, Travel | Tagged , , | 167 Comments

Dawn with her fingertips of rose

We are still reading The Odyssey at bedtime, and since that just happened it’s what I’ll talk about! But here’s the quick catch-up news: I haven’t had Moomin here a whole lot this summer – I went to WisCon, then … finish reading Dawn with her fingertips of rose

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The Great Escape

We’re in the jungles of Florida! We keep ending up at tiki bars, eating slightly disgusting fried things. I had a piece of gator tail. On day 1, we stayed in Minneola, a tiny town right next to a lake … finish reading The Great Escape

Posted in Boats!, Books, Comics | Tagged , | 73 Comments

Thundertail! she meowed

I read a bunch of Moomin’s books while I was sick, including ones I’d rejected before for being annoying. After a couple of those Warriors books about housecat clans in a forest, I got kind of excited about writing a … finish reading Thundertail! she meowed

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The moment of school dropoff

Every time I drop Moomin off at school I feel a sentimental pang as he walks away, looking so self-possessed and independent and alone, trundling his giant backpack on wheels. These days, he looks a bit cool and teenagery. Just … finish reading The moment of school dropoff

Posted in Books, Parenting | Tagged , , , | 364 Comments

Reading Watership Down

Watership Down is our new bedtime reading book. Moomin and I started it last night. I gave him two warnings: it’s intense, and it sometimes has long boring descriptions of scenery. My pitch for the book was basically the book … finish reading Reading Watership Down

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The Mystery of Air Waffle Inn

Tonight at bedtime Moomin and I read the title story in The People Could Fly: American Black Folktales by Virginia Hamilton. During the bit where there is an evil guy whipping one of the characters who has a baby strapped … finish reading The Mystery of Air Waffle Inn

Posted in Books, Parenting | Tagged , , , | 131 Comments

Analysis of Prospero’s speech

Tonight as we cast about for something new to read I decided it was Time for Shakespeare. Moomin’s school just put on A Midsummer Night’s Dream, which he had mixed feelings about! I wanted to read The Tempest because it … finish reading Analysis of Prospero’s speech

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Reading with kids: Kidnapped by Robert Louis Stevenson

For bedtime reading, Moomin and I are reading Kidnapped by Robert Louis Stevenson, one of my favorite kids’ books. It has a lot of great scope for imagination as its hero David climbs the stairs in a creepy ruined mansion … finish reading Reading with kids: Kidnapped by Robert Louis Stevenson

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Kids and houseboats

Guest post today from Moomin! He wrote about our liveaboard life for a school report and it didn’t come out sounding like this guy’s. It’s good to know that Moomin noticed the old sailmaker was a bit “off” since actually … finish reading Kids and houseboats

Posted in Boats!, Books | Tagged , , , , , | 65 Comments

Free in the sea!

Tonight while we were reading 20,000 Leagues Beneath the Sea we got to one of my favorite parts of the book. Captain Nemo gave a little speech about how much he loves the sea, where he’s free from unjust laws. … finish reading Free in the sea!

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Stalking the wily narwhal: Reading the classics aloud with children

Tonight I started reading 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea to Moomin. We skipped a bit of the first chapter’s exposition. Moomin commented a lot on the long sentences that go on till you forget what they’re about. I think it … finish reading Stalking the wily narwhal: Reading the classics aloud with children

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Cheap Art Manifesto

Moomin reads the Why Cheap Art? Manifesto aloud. One day he noticed it taped to the wall and read it with great enthusiasm! “PEOPLE have been THINKING too long that ART is a PRIVILEGE of the MUSEUMS & the RICH. … finish reading Cheap Art Manifesto

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Rebecca’s War at the taqueria

Moomin and I are reading Rebecca’s War, a book set during the Revolutionary War. I loved this book when I was little and since Moomin’s studying the American Revolution in school, this seemed like a good time for it. Rebecca … finish reading Rebecca’s War at the taqueria

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Mittens on a string

Moomin was reading Farmer Boy this afternoon and came kind of starry eyed to ask me, “You know how Almanzo has mittens, connected by a string, that go up through the sleeves of his coat and around his neck and … finish reading Mittens on a string

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A good Father’s Day present: The Daddy Shift

Hey! My friend Jeremy from Daddy Dialectic wrote a book, The Daddy Shift! I’m buying it as a Father’s Day present. Wow, it’s good! I can tell even without having read it, because part of the book is an interview … finish reading A good Father’s Day present: The Daddy Shift

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Black Beauty vs. Thomas the Tank Engine

Tonight we reached the point in Black Beauty where the horse has galloped for 8 miles and back again to bring the doctor to the Squire’s wife, which saves her life *just in time*. The new stable boy, Little Joe … finish reading Black Beauty vs. Thomas the Tank Engine

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Protectors of the Small

I love it that my friend’s daughter just called me at 8:30 in the morning, desperate to borrow Page, the second book in the Tamora Pierce series, “Protector of the Small”. It’s a young adult fantasy series about a 10 … finish reading Protectors of the Small

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bathroom door signs

bathroom door sign Originally uploaded by Liz Henry. Back in the PQ7800 stacks on the third floor of Stanford library, Moomin asked me out of the blue, “How do you tell the difference between boys… men and women, or male … finish reading bathroom door signs

Posted in Books, Parenting | Tagged , , | 16 Comments