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September 2008

Hi folks!

If you have noticed some oddities with the site, you would be correct. I am trying to learn web design (my web designer left), and I have managed to hit a couple of wrong buttons (yes, I know last month’s list was out of order, and I am learning how to prevent that from happening in the future). I know that I have not e-mailed the subscription list for the past couple of months, and trust that I am working on the problems. If you know a lot about web design and would like to volunteer to help me out, your expertise is most welcome. 

I spent almost all of August on the road, so I devoured a lot of books in airport terminals and on flights. Got through a ton of hilarious page turners by Janet Evanovich (author of the Stephanie Plum bounty hunter mysteries), read several inspirational biographies (including Lead to Succeed by basketball coach Rick Pitino – yes, I read a lot of basketball books this past month…I guess I was excited about the Redeem Team at the Olympics) and experimented with several romance novels (sorry – they still do not do anything for me, although I do enjoy some chick lit…see my review of How to Hook a Hottie below). Here’s a longer book filled with short stories that I’d highly recommend, Hearts of Fire by Kemp Battle, which includes all sorts of wonderful anecdotes about great women throughout American history.

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 September, and enjoy your books!

Danny ;-)
The Shadow of Her Smile

The Shadow of Her Smile

By Victoria Taylor Murray 184 pages Adult

Danny Says

One of the quickest mysteries I’ve ever read at the beach. I like books that I get through effortlessly, and this book ensured that I will read much more by Victoria Taylor Murray. 
Buy on Amazon
Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions

Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions

By Edwin Abbott Abbott 86 pages Adult

Danny Says

When people ask me how I teach math to students, I point them to books for kids like Norton Juster’s The Dot and the Line, Greg Tang’s The Grapes of Math and just about anything that Marilyn Burns has ever written. For adults frustrated by high school geometry, I offer this classic story of a square living in a two-dimensional world that discovers a third dimension. Trust me, this book makes geometry enticing. 
Buy on Amazon
Dare to Dream: Connecticut Basketball's Remarkable March to the National Championship

Dare to Dream: Connecticut Basketball's Remarkable March to the National Championship

By Jim Calhoun,Leigh Montville 240 pages Adult

Danny Says

I was dismayed to read a recent article in USA Today about UConn men’s basketball coach Jim Calhoun’s battle with cancer. I just happened to recently read this wonderful book (written shortly after UConn’s first national championship), and I recommend it because it shows how hard work, a sense of humor and personal beliefs and convictions can pay off. Yes, nice guys sometimes do finish first. One of the elements I really like about this book are the reprints of fan letters that left an impact on this often gruff but tireless Hall of Fame coach.
Buy on Amazon
Donuthead

Donuthead

By Sue Stauffacher 176 pages Young Adult

Danny Says

This book includes characters that would make Albert Camus and Quentin Tarantino blush. Fifth grader Franklin Delano Donuthead’s obsessive cleanliness versus new girl Sarah Kervick’s sloppiness make for plenty of laughs and demonstrate the power of kindness to others. I would have to say that this is one of the most enjoyable books I have read for middle schoolers since Holes. A must read.
Buy on Amazon
Exiled: Memoirs of a Camel

Exiled: Memoirs of a Camel

By Kathleen Karr 242 pages Young Adult

Danny Says

Memoirs of a camel? Sounds hokey, but this book actually captivated me. It shows, from the camel’s point of view, the true story of how the U.S. army shipped camels from Egypt to Texas in the 1850s to help troops cope with desert terrain.

Buy on Amazon
Players

Players

By Joyce Sweeney 226 pages Young Adult

Danny Says

While the story is set around a high school basketball team, this tale deals more with forces of good and evil. Filled with laughs and suspense, Players deals with the serious issue of competitiveness gone too far. An excellent book for teens.
Buy on Amazon
How to Hook a Hottie

How to Hook a Hottie

By Tina Ferraro 208 pages Young Adult

Danny Says

I have to confess that I grabbed this book after reading the author’s delightful bio. Keep an eye out for Tina Ferraro because I am convinced she is going to become one of the next big teen authors. I read this book and her first (Top Ten Uses for an Unworn Prom Dress), and I am impressed by how she takes stories about high school and makes them funny, realistic and meaningful. Write me to tell me what you think about this one.
Buy on Amazon
Don't Be Silly, Mrs. Millie!

Don't Be Silly, Mrs. Millie!

By Judy Cox 30 pages Children

Danny Says

Great word-play fun for the beginning of the school year with little ones. Brought to life with wonderful illustrations by Joe Mathieu, this is a popular read aloud in preschool and kindergarten classrooms.
Buy on Amazon
Frida

Frida

By Carmen Bernier-Grand 64 pages Children

Danny Says

Even if most schools stopped teaching art, there are still a variety of wonderful books to get kids excited about art. I really enjoyed this book, filled with paintings by Frida Kahlo. Bernier-Grand’s wonderful accompanying poems inspire students to use language in a variety of ways to describe their personal experiences.



Buy on Amazon
Being Bella

Being Bella

By Cheryl Zuzo 26 pages Children

Danny Says

It’s not easy being young. I love the message in this book that as long as you try your best you should be proud. Beautiful and fun illustrations by Megan Wellman. A great read aloud for parents with kindergartners.
Buy on Amazon

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