King Solomon's Ring

King Solomon's Ring: New Light on Animals' Ways by Konrad Lorenz
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Humorous and earnest. I really enjoyed Lorenz's adventures with and observations of the animals in his life. I think that for his time (post-WWI and pre-WWII), he was very interested in animal welfare. The book is only dated in that some of the attitudes have shifted toward favoring animal rights and that DNA has changed the study of some animals (like dogs/wolves). Very enjoyable read!

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Headlong Hall

Headlong Hall by Thomas Love Peacock
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

The satire is very heavy-handed, so it was somewhat dull, but fortunately brief. :) The satire is predominantly about three schools of philosophy: those who think that human progress in science/technology is positive, those who think it's a negative thing & that we were better off when humans were hardly more than apes, and the third that the positives & negatives pretty much cancel each other out. It was all right and would - should - be used in courses that examine satire as socio-political commentary, but isn't as entertaining to read simply because it is so heavy-handed. Of course, it doesn't help that I wasn't sure what to expect and was hoping for a sort of 19th Century gothic novel. Sigh!

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Three Bears' Halloween

The Three Bears' Halloween by Kathy Duval
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Oldest son (age 4) thought this was a little scary, but was relieved that it wasn't a real witch, just Goldilocks in disguise. :) A cute story and take on the traditional Three Bears story.

Recommended for kids who like fairy tales, older preschool to 2nd grade will probably enjoy it the most. :D

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The Pot and How to Use It

The Pot and How to Use It: The Mystery and Romance of the Rice Cooker by Roger Ebert

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Before going any further, I will admit that there weren't as many recipes as I'd have liked. I know some of that is due to differences between rice cookers' timing mechanisms and other related issues. Still. Essentially, it lets you know that you can use a rice cooker to make a variety of dishes (with rice! ... or noodles, or oatmeal, etc...) as one pot meals without using a stove. A lot of these, though, you can use a slow cooker for or cook on the stove in one pot. It is a nice tool for summer time cooking, though, when you wouldn't want to turn on the oven or stand over a simmering pot on the stove.

All that being said, I give it 3 stars because Ebert and the blog comments he's included are so entertaining. A great culinary quick-read. Recommended for people with rice cookers! :D



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The Would Be Gentleman (or The Shopkeeper Turned Gentleman)

The Would Be Gentleman by Molière

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This play has several similar titles depending on who the translator was. I am sure this would be hilarious to see performed. As other reviewers have said, it's a take-off on "The Emperor's New Clothes" and is wonderful. :)



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Who's Seen the Scissors?

Who's Seen Scissors by Fernando Krahn

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


A humorous wordless book about a pair of flying scissors. Recommended for older preschoolers to first grade. :)



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Handa's Surprise

Handa's Surprise by Eileen Browne

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


This would be a good storytime book. :) Recommended for preschoolers since it appeals to their sense of humor and teaches colors, fruits, and (subtly) subtraction.



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I Can Has Cheezburger?

I enjoy the website, so I thought I'd take a look at the book. It's a little disappointing. You're better off having the website's RSS feed. Not a complete waste of time, but it was only 15 minutes. The little cartoons are amusing, but I'd have really felt ripped off if I'd purchased it.

Julie and Julia: My Year of Cooking Dangerously

I selected this book for my library's January book club selection (yes, you can see what a slow-poke I am about my postings if you hadn't already noticed!). Being in my early 30's, I can sympathize with Julie's housekeeping (even though my own apartment has never been quite as bad as hers), her relationship with her husband, and friends. I also am able to sympathize with her desire for "something else" - a challenge, something new, something to blast one out of his/her rut.... something.

I found the book engaging, candid, and at points, laugh-out-loud funny. If you're easily offended by the f-word, you might want to select a different book. While it's not on every page, it's sprinkled throughout the text with some regularity.

Highly recommended for most adults - especially those searching for a way out of their own rut. Perhaps the answers are simpler than we think.

Arsenic and Old Lace

Another great, hilarious play! I had seen the movie with the same title, but had never read Joseph Kesselring's play. I was delighted that the movie is almost an actual performance of the play! I really enjoyed reading the play and am looking forward to when the movie shows up in my Netflix again!

Recommended for beginning drama readers (very madcap & I hesitate to say it.. zany) and for fans of the movie, especially. People who enjoy reading plays would not find this as high-brow as Harold Pinter or maybe Tom Stoppard's Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, but I think it'd be tough to find one who didn't have to suppress a smile once in awhile while reading it.

Bridget Jones

Last week I finished reading Helen Fielding's Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason. Both this and Bridget Jones' Diary are very lighthearted & can be very amusing. I think Bridget Jones' Diary was especially funny to me because at the time I was single and many of Bridget's neuroses were mine as well. The Edge of Reason was much better than I believe the movie is (though I haven't seen the movie) because it's not a waffling situation - it's more of a comedy of errors.

Recommended fluff. :D