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October 2011

Hi folks!

I hope you are all finding opportunities to read for fun. I just started Thomas Friedman’s That Used to Be Us, based on a recommendation from my friend Barry Wishner. Simultaneously compelling and disturbing. Since my kids have been struggling with their math recently I have been searching for great math tools (I’ve read a ton of great math storybooks by Amy Axelrod, Loreen Leedy, Marilyn Burns and Greg Tang), and that is why I was thrilled to discover GregTangMath.com, where you can get $10 off with the code DB123). Read a little bit of Shakespeare, a lot of the Bible and a bunch of poetry, thanks to my friend, speaker and poet Dale Biron.

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 October, and enjoy your books!

Danny ;-)
Choclatique: 150 Simply Elegant Desserts

Choclatique: 150 Simply Elegant Desserts

By Ed Engoron 272 pages Adult

Danny Says

It may be a little over 250 pages, but this book is loaded with scintillating photos of chocolate to entice anyone to attempt one of the 150 recipes for using chocolate. Engoron is a cross between Willy Wonka and Indiana Jones, as his terrific book blends recipes with history in the most enticing travelogue I have read this year. See more in my interview with Ed at: http://www.dannybrassell.com/vlog-ed-engoron-pmad/. 
Buy on Amazon
Sometimes I Feel Like a Nut: Essays and Observations

Sometimes I Feel Like a Nut: Essays and Observations

By Jill Kargman 192 pages Adult

Danny Says

You need to buy this book, as I flew threw this one. Kargman is hysterical, as I have not found myself laughing so hard reading a book of essays since my first encounters with Woody Allen (long ago) and David Sedaris (more recently). This book should improve anyone’s mood for at least a week.
Buy on Amazon
The Hundred Brothers: A Novel

The Hundred Brothers: A Novel

By Donald Antrim 208 pages Adult

Danny Says

If you’re looking for a quick, quirky tale, you’re in business. This book reads like a relatable, nightmarish family reunion featuring 99 brothers (one couldn’t make it) ranging in age from 25 to 93 trying to locate their dead father’s remains. Fun, demented humor. 
Buy on Amazon
Trash

Trash

By Andy Mulligan 240 pages Young Adult

Danny Says

This book reads like a written version of the movie Slumdog Millionaire, as it follows three teens living among the trash heaps of a third world country whose world is transformed when they discover a mysterious bag. Compelling page-turner that can be used for great classroom conversations about poverty and the silent voices of the poor.
Buy on Amazon
Sir Charlie: Chaplin, the Funniest Man in the World

Sir Charlie: Chaplin, the Funniest Man in the World

By Sid Fleischman 288 pages Young Adult

Danny Says

Okay – so it is really 288 pages. The appendix alone is thirty pages; cut me some slack! I am a sucker for anything on Charlie Chaplin, and placed in the hands of masterful author Sid Fleischman, this is a terrific biography about a cinematic comic icon.
Buy on Amazon
Memento Nora (Memento Nora series)

Memento Nora (Memento Nora series)

By Angie Smibert 192 pages Young Adult

Danny Says

A teenager witnesses a murder and is given a pill to forget the whole event. Everything would have been fine – if she took the pill. Instead, Norah and a classmate try to figure out the real story, and your middle school students will love the suspense that ensues. Smibert’s book reads like an Orwellian tale.
Buy on Amazon
Black and White (Speak)

Black and White (Speak)

By Paul Volponi 199 pages Young Adult

Danny Says

Too proud to work fast food, two star basketball buddies, one black and the other white, wound a victim in a robbery to earn extra cash, then wait for the authorities to track them down. What is so interesting to teen readers is the different treatment the two boys receive, making this a great classroom fodder.
Buy on Amazon
The Grapes Of Math

The Grapes Of Math

By Greg Tang 40 pages Children

Danny Says

I have been inundated with requests for recommendations of “math storybooks” recently (and I have been scouring bookshelves to help my own children), and I’d be remiss if I did not mention any of the great titles by Greg Tang. I came across a great deal for this month only, so I am featuring three of Greg’s most popular titles. He has just created an online math program with animated books, games and his revolutionary new puzzle KAKOOMA! Take a test-drive: GregTangMath.com. During October, get $10 off with the code DB123.
Buy on Amazon
Math-terpieces: The Art of Problem-Solving

Math-terpieces: The Art of Problem-Solving

By Greg Tang 32 pages Children

Danny Says

I especially enjoy this book because Tang teaches math through art (that subject that is never discussed in schools anymore). Again, if you are looking for great ways to make math fun for your child, check out Tang’s new online math program at GregTangMath.com. This month you can get $10 off with the code DB123, a terrific deal for teachers and parents.
Buy on Amazon
Math Appeal: Mind-Stretching Math Riddles

Math Appeal: Mind-Stretching Math Riddles

By Gregory Tang,Greg Tang 40 pages Children

Danny Says

Using clever rhymes and fun illustrations, Tang again shows parents and teachers that math can be taught in an engaging way. He has come up with an even more engaging (and, cheaper overall) way to bring math alive with his new online math program at GregTangMath.com. I’m all excited because I came across a deal where users get $10 off this month with the code DB123. If you know anyone trying to make math fun and meaningful to their students, this is a gold mine!
Buy on Amazon

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