I'm on Readcation the first part of this week, and I'll be reading pretty much nothing but children's nonfiction. Hopefully I'll be back next week with a lot of reviews.
Last week I finished:
Earlier this year I tried to read Tracy Chevalier's At the Edge of the Orchard, but I just couldn't finish it due to subject matter. But I did find that I enjoyed Chevalier's writing style, and, upon further research, many of her plots. So I decided to try her most famous novel, Girl with a Pearl Earring. I remember when it came out years and years ago, and it was everywhere. I think I avoided it because of that. But I'm glad I finally, finally got around to it, because I loved it. Although I normally don't like books set before the mid-1800s or so, this one, set in the mid 1600s, didn't feel unrelatable. It's a quiet story, in which the life of the model for Dutch painter Vermeer's famous Girl with a Pearl Earring is imagined. In the novel, which doesn't seem was based on reality, Griet, Vermeer's maid, is secretly asked to help him in his studio, cleaning and grinding and creating his paint for him, and then one day, she's asked to model for him. I enjoyed the way the story was told and how real the characters seemed. It deals with the push and pull and jealousies of work dynamics which haven't changed much in 300 years. I listened to this one on audio, which was good, but I wonder if I would have liked it even more had I read it. I enjoyed it very much, and I can see myself returning to it. It's a short book, and definitely work a try if you haven't read this gem. My rating: 4 stars.
The following review is for a book read for Cybils award judging and represents my opinions. My review does not necessarily reflect the opinions of other panelists.
I now officially know more about the Lego company than most anyone you'll meet and all because of a little book called From an Idea to Lego. For the middle grade set, this book not only gives the history of the Danish company, it also explains how the interlocking bricks are made, and the business philosophy behind the system of play that is Lego. It also details the ups and downs of the company--the factory burned to the ground three times, weathered the Great Depression, and came back from near bankruptcy just a few years ago to become the world's largest toy manufacturer. The book also defines key business terms in a kid-friendly way. I learned so much from this book, and I loved every minute of it. Although Lego* wasn't something I grew up with (I had no idea how long they've been around), now I want to get a set just to be charmed by the magic. My rating: 4 stars.
*"Lego" is both singular and plural.
I'm currently reading:
I'm loving this one.
My evening reads:
I'm having a blast learning about all kinds of things in children's books. Currently, I'm learning about birds and human digestion. I don't even know what's next. My non-children's books have been nearly abandoned (except for the Vern Yip book, which is due back to the library soon, so I'm hoping to finish it this week).
My current audiobook:
Unlike my children's book holds, my audiobook holds just were not coming in this week, so I had to scramble to find something to fill the gap. I totally lucked out finding this one available.
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