Coffeespoons

Bel Kaufman, author of one of my all-time favorite books. ( img src ) I got an email yesterday from a Ms. De Silva of Open Road Media . It was a marketing email telling me about the release of Bel Kaufman's cult classic, Up the Down Staircase , in ebook format. It gave the usual short background about the author and a link to new content, specifically a video of Bel Kaufmann. Now, I usually do not do anything about emails like this. Not that I don't appreciate them--trust me, I do. I am shallow and, once in a while, I like feeling important enough for a marketer's email. But I have a lot of things on my plate--as might be obvious from the sporadic posts on this blog--so I really don't have the time to take books for review or even post announcements and such. But I'm making an exception for this. Because I am truly impressed.  First, I am impressed by Bel Kaufman. My God, the woman is 101 years old! And lucid as ever. I fell in love with Up the Down...

( What is a 555 Review ?) Read: 7 August 2009 How I got it… bought it, brand new Why I read it… I think I first became a fan of Christopher Moore by just reading the blurb for this book, without having even read any of his books yet. For the record, though, this is the second Moore I've read.  When I finally read one of his books, Bloodsucking Fiends , I wasn't disappointed. What's the story? Charlie Asher, described as a "beta-male," is all set to have a wonderful life with his beloved wife and their newly born daughter. But, as luck (or fate) would have it, Charlie's wife dies soon after giving birth. Strangely, Charlie sees a tall man in a green suit standing beside his wife on her deathbed; the man is surprised that Charlie can see him, because no one else apparently can. Soon, Charlie finds people dying around him, while objects around them start glowing red; Charlie has become the newest Death Merchant--tasked with retrieving and keeping ...

Read: 19 June 09 5/5 stars I guess it's pretty apt that this is the first book I'm going to review after a long, unwanted blogging hiatus. My short disappearance from the blogging scene is due to only one thing--I've gone back to teaching. Theoretically speaking, of course, blogging and teaching can mix. Realistically...well, those of you who are in the business of teaching (high school, at that), know otherwise. And so, I take a break from the humdrum of my teaching life to engage in my other love--blogging. And fortuitously, this book allows me to both blog and talk about teaching. Bel Kaufman's Up the Down Staircase is a hilarious novel about the life of an idealistic literature graduate during her first year of teaching in the public school system. And, trust me, this situation has a lot of potential for hilarity. But I've always believed that, for things to be truly comic, there must be depth and lingering pain behind it. In this respect, Up the D...

Yesterday, I spent the wee hours of the morning listening to these two songs over and over again. Why? For no particular reason but that they made me laugh. So today, I couldn't help but sing the songs over and over. The first video I discovered while blog-hopping. My apologies, though. I honestly don't remember whose blog I found it on, though I did try to look again. I'm counting on someone to remind me.:) The second one, I found while I was checking out the related videos on Youtube. I have to say, I'm already in love with the guy. He's damn funny and quite a good performer. Kristin Chenowith's a great singer, but Ben Hensley I think does her one better. Oh, and you're right--this has nothing to do with books. But I figure since I spent most of the past two days online and not reading a book, I might as well have something to show for it.:) Hope you enjoy them, too!

Read: 2/6/09 4/5 stars This is my first Christopher Moore, and I think I'm in love. Let me explain why... Moore isn't a serious literary writer. So I don't love him for his elegant prose. Nor does he deal with weighty issues. So, not for his depth of insight either. Rather, this is a case of loving the guy who makes you laugh, and not Hamlet. I first heard of Moore when some people were raving over him at down at 50 Book Challenge . The main comment was how funny he is. Now, tell me that a male writer is funny, and I will most likely check the male writer out, which is what I did with Moore. And this, Bloodsucking Fiends, was the only book I could get my hands on for now. I do have a liking for vampire literature, but I don't really pick just any old vampire novel up. (e.g., I have avoided all of Christine Feehan's books) Besides, I didn't pick this book up because it was vampire-themed. Primarily, I just wanted a Christopher Moore book. There'...

Read: 2/1/09 4 stars This book has been waiting on my shelf for months now, and I got to picking it up because I was looking for something light and fun. Turns out, I picked perfectly. For those of you who haven't--Stephanie Plum just got laid off and can't seem to find any job for her. So, she turns to her cousin Vinnie, who gets her a job as a bounty hunter, the type that brings in FTAs (Failure to Appear, which is what they call people who fail to show up for their court date.) The money is immensely attractive to Stephanie, but her first case is somewhat complicated since she has to bring in Joe Morelli, a cop who was accused of murdering an unarmed person and a man with whom Stephanie has had a colorful history. The book is funny, and the action really moves along quickly, but what I really liked was Stephanie's character and the predicament she was in--not having a job, therefore no money, and having to do whatever was necessary just so she could live. That situation ...

Read: 1/28/09 I was supposed to finish my Don DeLillo book, but I couldn't get past the middle, so I turned to this one just to have a sense of accomplishment. The book was given to me last Christmas by a good friend, to whom I also gave a Time Warp Trio book last holiday season. We didn't plan this, of course. Turns out, this book that he gave me is the first in the whole series (whereas the book I gave him was the ninth). The series is so named because on Joe's 10th birthday, he receives a book from his magician uncle. His two friends, Sam and Fred, persuade him to open it, thereby triggering the book's power. For the book is no ordinary book! (Imagine that.) When it is opened, it transports the three unwitting friends into different time periods. Told in the same Scieszka humor, (for which, I suppose, he is named the first Children's Laureate) the Time Warp Trio is short, fun, and witty. Moreover, it comes with a television series and a website with cool games! ...

I hardly ever read non-fiction for leisure. Actually, I don't at all. This book, however, is the first non-fiction book I've read that I thoroughly enjoyed. Never mind that I'm not a hiker nor a nature-lover. Never mind that I have no idea where the Appalachian Trail is (well, now I do, and you can, too! Good 'ol Wikipedia). The fact is, Bryson is hilarious, and therefore highly entertaining. Aside from its entertainment value, the book is full of interesting facts about nature, hiking, and the US itself. I'm glad I read it and I'm actually looking for more Bryson now to see how consistent he is. Read: 1/19/09 5/5 stars