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June 2008

Hi folks!

Summer is finally upon us, and I intend to get a lot of reading done at the beach. Just returned from a wonderful week in Colorado with my wife and kids, and I am so grateful to have spent so much time with them. I hope you find plenty of time for your family this summer. 

I have been all over the map with the types of longer books I have been reading this past month. I really enjoyed Nudge by Richard Thaler & Cass R. Sunstein, a wonderful book about how people make decisions – filled with great anecdotes and riddles; loved Peter Leonard’s Quiver and cannot believe it is his first book (prediction: everyone will know his name within five years); found Barbara Kingsolver’s latest Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life to be so-so, not nearly as good as Pigs in Heaven; and, although I am still trudging along through it, I absolutely love Doris Kearn Goodwin’s Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln.

Anyhow, enjoy this month’s book selections below. I hope you are all reading some wonderful books. Make sure to tell me all about them. If you're an author or a publisher and would like to send me review copies of your book(s), please send them to the address listed for authors and publishers.

I hope you are reading some wonderful books. Make sure to tell me about them by This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Have a wonderful June, and enjoy your books!

Danny ;-)
The Wentworths

The Wentworths

By Katie Arnoldi 256 pages Adult

Danny Says

When I see an endorsement on a book from one of my favorite playwrights, David Mamet, that reads “too funny, too sad, too short,” I have to grab that book. This one did not disappoint. If you think your family is dysfunctional, check in on the Wentworths. The payoff at the end is superb, and the book is filled with laughs along the way.
Buy on Amazon
Around The World On Two Wheels

Around The World On Two Wheels

By Peter Zheutlin 161 pages Adult

Danny Says

This book knocked my socks off! I had never heard of Annie Kopchovsky, a Jewish immigrant wife who in 1894 abandoned her family in Boston to partake in a wager straight out of a certain Jules Verne book. Turning herself into “Annie Londonberry,” she rode a bicycle around the world in 15 months, becoming perhaps the first international female sports superstar. I think I like her story so much because it reminds me so much of Nellie Bly, one of her contemporaries (and my idols).
Buy on Amazon
Here If You Need Me

Here If You Need Me

By Kate Braestrup 211 pages Adult

Danny Says

When several people tell me I have to check-out a certain book, I make it appoint to oblige them. Did I think I would be interested in a memoir about a mother who lost her husband in a car accident and became a minister? No. That’s why I know I am not that smart, as this is one of the best books I have read this year. I will guarantee you that you will like this book. It touched me in many ways (I lucked out, as I read this book the same weekend I had the pleasure of watching the superb German Academy Award-winner, The Lives of Others, which I strongly recommend). I hope Braestrup writes more, as I breezed through this beautiful book.
Buy on Amazon
Kandide and The Secret of the Mists

Kandide and The Secret of the Mists

By Diana S. Zimmerman 286 pages Young Adult

Danny Says

Okay, I confess that the book is actually 288 pages, but it is big print and includes several appendices and illustrator Maxine Gadd’s gorgeous full-color art pages of various characters. Fantasy is all the rage right now, and I highly recommend this book for anyone who enjoys The Chronicles of Narnia series. What I like best about this book is the message of overcoming adversity and maintaining hope. Precisely the kind of book I like to see adolescents reading.
Buy on Amazon
Passion and Poison

Passion and Poison

By Janice M. Del Negro 64 pages Young Adult

Danny Says

This is the perfect book to read aloud to a class of sixth graders after a break with the lights turned off. Place a flashlight under your chin and relate any of the seven creepy tales, all featuring strong female protagonists.
Buy on Amazon
Legend of the White Wolf

Legend of the White Wolf

By Max Elliot Anderson 116 pages Young Adult

Danny Says

Nothing makes me happier than finding books that reluctant boy readers will enjoy. If you know a boy who hates reading, grab a book by Max Elliot Anderson. He, like me, hated reading growing up. We may share the same brain, as he thinks in terms of action. Reading this book was like watching a movie: fast and fun. Perfect summer reading.
Buy on Amazon
Sneaky Uses for Everyday Things

Sneaky Uses for Everyday Things

By Cy Tymony 176 pages Young Adult

Danny Says

The best way I know to get boys to read is to give them a book they can put to good use, and this one does not disappoint. Filled with all sorts of tips for “aspiring MacGyvers,” the book is especially popular with boys who have short attention spans (which is most boys). 
Buy on Amazon
The Thrift Store Bears

The Thrift Store Bears

By Olive Evans 41 pages Children

Danny Says

Anyone who knows me knows how much I love to use poems and music to teach students of all ages. This is the perfect book, as it includes wonderful poems set to music by Jim Furmston and accompanied by Pat Woolley’s adorable illustrations. There are certain books that I read every day with my kids: Dr. Seuss, our children’s Bible, a book of nursery rhymes…and now this. My kids love it!
Buy on Amazon
The Great Texas Hamster Drive

The Great Texas Hamster Drive

By Eric A. Kimmel 40 pages Children

Danny Says

Your kids will love this silly tall tale about a little girl whose family gets a lot more than they bargained for when they get a couple of pet hamsters. With fun illustrations by Bruce Whatley, this book reminded me of the Pecos Bill and Paul Bunyan stories I treasured as a child.
Buy on Amazon
I'm Bad!

I'm Bad!

By Kate McMullan 40 pages Children

Danny Says

The McMullans wrote one of my favorite picture books, I Stink!, which is about the life of a garbage truck (I recommended it in my March 2003 issue). This is another gem, as it chronicles the life of a nasty T-rex who may not be as nasty as he seems. Total fun.
Buy on Amazon

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