Julia Reads...

Big News

Mon, 21 Dec 2009 16:38:00 -0500

I’ve moved! (Virtually, that is.) Check out the new home of Julia Reads here.
Bonus: the new blogini will feature more of my kitchen skills.

0 boxes. 0 sore muscles from lugging 0 boxes. No need to supply pizza/beer to the ~~friends~~ movers.

Virtual move > Actual move

Quick News Bites (before you start your weekend):

Fri, 18 Dec 2009 16:31:59 -0500

»Follow the Reader: “Three Bloggers Who Pair Lit with Their Other Loves”
»Book Bench: “Behind the Writing: Greetings, Friends!”
»GalleyCat: “Simon & Schuster CEO Bashes ‘Cheap Digital’ Marketplace”
»GalleyCat: “4th Generation iPhone Will Have Lots of Room for e-Books”
»SLJ: “And the 1 YA Book I Will Read Is…”

HAPPY READING,

News bits:

Thu, 17 Dec 2009 13:59:20 -0500

»HarperStudio: Let your books play dress up (or suit up…there’s a HIMYM joke in there somewhere)
»Omnivoracious: Daily Crush: “little blue and little yellow”
»GalleyCat: Marketing guru, Gay Vaynerchuk offers quick advice to short story authors
»GalleyCat: “Nancy Paulsen to Helm Her Own Imprint at Penguin”
»SLJ: Librarian Preview! Spring 2010/ Simon & Schuster
»Jacket Copy: Could this be the future or magazines?
»Powells Books: On The Nanny Diaires sequel
»Maud Newton: Check out the NYPL’s new digs!

HAPPY READING,

The ULTIMATE 2009 Children's Gift Guide:

Wed, 16 Dec 2009 16:17:00 -0500

To: Any and all
With Love: One part-time nanny with a penchant for adventure and imagination. Happy Holidays!

10 Pre-Naptime/ bedtime picture books that will inspire cool dreams:

1.) 14 Cows for America by Carmen Agra Deedy and Thomas Gonzalez and Wilson Kimeli Naiyomah (Peachtree Publishers): After reading Nicholas Kristof’s review, I sped right over to B&N and spent a few minutes in the adjoining cafe, devouring this one. A wonderful introduction to foreign aid, I advise pairing a reading of this with a discussion on sharing.

2.) All the World by Liz Garton Scanlon and Marla Frazee (Beach Lane Books): These 40 pages tell the tale of one day, one family, and one beach. I promise you this: you and your kiddo(s) will find the extraordinary in the ordinary before the final page.

3.) A Penguin Story by Antoinette Portis (HarperCollins): One day a little penguin named Edna decides to venture away from her norm, and upon doing so, she discovers new friends and new possibility. Consider this for the munchkin who is constantly asking “why not” or “what if.” Plus, it’s funny.

4.) Buying, Training, and Caring for Your Dinosaur by Laura Joy Rennert and Marc Brown (Knopf Books for Young Readers): Obviously, this one’s a hit with the prehistoric crowd. Beyond the dino-heads, however, this story will find a spot in the imaginations of any kid who might be teetering between overusing the word “mine” and learning the full responsibility of caring for a pet, a toy, or a baby brother or sister.

5.) Julie Andrew’s Collection of Poems, Songs, and Lullabies by Julie Andrews, Emma Watson Hamilton, and James McMullan (Little, Brown): This collection (compiled by the famed Andrews and her daughter, Emma) is a literary treasure trove. In the last two weeks, I’ve spotted it on bedside tables in six different homes. After you purchase, I recommend that you keep it within reach at all times.

6.) The Little Prince Pop Up by Antoine de Saint-Exupery (HMH Books): A classic goes 3-D. I cannot tell you how beautiful this is.

7.) Otis by Loren Long (Philomel): I suggest gifting this to the child who hums “Bob the Builder” under his or her breath all morning long…or the one who asks, “Handy Manny?” upon waking up for a mid-morning nap. This is a story of the friendship between a tractor and a calf, a story that would make Bob [the Builder] proud.

8.) The Peace Book by Todd Parr (Little, Brown): To a child, one definitive answer to a question can often be helpful. When explaining abstract concepts to wide, questioning eyes, however, one size does not always fit all. Parr offers many definitions of peace. A helpful and sweet book.

9.) Redwoods by Jason Chin (Flash Point): I found this stuffed in a couch cushion. The couch belonged to a family that had recently switched coasts. I grinned from ear-to-ear when the five-year-old owner of the book explained to me that, these pictures would help him if he ever forgot how “way cool” the redwoods looked in person. (A good one for the Magic Tree House crew.)

10.) Yummy: 8 Favorite Fairy Tales by Lucy Cousins (Candlewick): Greatness strikes again. Maisy creator, Lucy Cousins, brings fairy tales to life by removing the training wheels and swapping sugar-coated for hilarious.

5 Books to gift the pre-tween (ages 6-8.5):

1.) Allie Finkle’s Rules for Girls by Meg Cabot (Scholastic): I have linked the most current edition (Stage Fright) but suggest the whole series. If you read quietly (and between the lines) you’ll hear the approving voices of Junie B. Jones, Ramona, and Anne with an E.

2.) Flat Stanley’s Worldwide Adventures: The Japanese Ninja Surprise by Jeff Brown and Macky Pamintuan (HarperCollins): I have yet to read Ninja Surprise, but have had such fondness for its predecessors that I have to recommend it. My best friend (and current Kindergarten teacher) also is a fan…and that’s saying something.

3.) Ivy and Bean Secret Treasure Box (books 1-3) by Annie Barrows and Sophie Blackall (Chronicle): I’m borrowing words here, but I feel they do the trick. “Meet Ivy and Bean two friends who never meant to like each other. This boxed set is a delightful introduction to these spunky characters. It includes the first three books in the Ivy and Bean series and a secret treasure-hiding box with a cool surprise inside!” -Amazon

4.) The Magician’s Elephant by Kate DiCamillo and Yoko Tanaka (Candlewick): Again, borrowing a better summary: “Peter Augustus Duchene goes to the market square of the city of Baltese. Instead of buying the fish and bread that his guardian, Vilna Lutz, has asked him to procure, he uses the coin to pay a fortune-teller to get information about his sister, whom he believes to be dead. He is told that she is alive, and that an elephant will lead him to her.” (You want to read more, huh?)

5.) Scat by Carl Hiassen (Knopf Books for Young Readers): A mystery, eco-suspense, and fun, all packed into just under 400 pages of incredible.

3 Books for the kitchen. These will be a welcomed addition to, “and YOUR job is to open the Annie’s cheese packet” :

1.) Gastrokid: Feeding a Foodie Family in a Fast-Food World by Hugh Garvey and Matthew Yeomans (Wiley): This may just be my favorite kiddo cookbook out there. That’s a statement, because I am a person who has organized multiple bakery crawls throughout multiple countries. These recipes are easy, healthy, and adaptable. A must-gift for any foodie family.

2.) The Silver Spoon for Children: Favorite Italian Recipes (Phadion Press): Buono appetito! This book could be a how-to on training your tot to cook like Grandma (as long as Grandma is famous for her rigatoni with meatballs).

3.) The Usborne First Cookbook by Anglea Wilkes, Rebecca Gilpin, Stephen Cartwright, Sally Griffin, and Carrie Armstrong (Usborne Books): This is one of the best in terms of an introduction to cooking. This book can really be his or hers—to keep next to his or her bedside leaving mom and dad out of the picture until it’s time for the measuring and oven stuff.

1 Book to Bring on the Ride (plane, car, train or otherwise) to Grandma’s:

1.) A Really Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Byrson (Delacorte Books for Young Readers): I really believe the title says it all with this one.

Full disclosure: Since I do not work in children’s publishing (nor am I a librarian or parent) I thought it might be a good idea to provide you with a little reassurance that I am, in fact, a moderately decent judge of kidlit. There are two reasons:

1.) I’m a nanny. A nanny who studied literature as an undergraduate.

For the past few months I’ve worked as a temp. nanny with a wonderful agency. Read: when the normal nanny needs a siesta or catches a bug, I head on over and act as a temporary Mary Poppins. I read with children every single day. I read with different children every single day. Since signing with the agency I have sat for nearly 65 children. Last week, I read 423 pages…aloud…in one day. I do voices—soft ones, loud ones, snarly ones, and cute ones. I’ve developed a system where each child has a special sign, signaling him or her to turn the page (a sprinkle of fairy dust, a tug on the nose). Having said this, children definitely crawl out of my lap from time to time and I’ve been told once or twice that my Grinch voice is too scary.

2.) Furthermore, I made most of my picks after consulting the gift guides of many, more qualified than myself, so you’re in good hands. Here are a few other guides for your shopping pleasure:

HAPPY READING AND HAPPY HOLIDAYS,

List o' Links:

Wed, 16 Dec 2009 14:15:40 -0500

»GalleyCat: Natalie Portman to star in P&P (Zombie version)
»Penguin: Happy Birthday to Miss Jane Austen!
»BBC: “Dickens toothpick fetches $9000 in NY auction”
»GalleyCat: NYer drops 2nd fiction issue…
»NYT Diner’s Journal: NYU grabs the 3500 cookbooks left in Gourmet’s research library
»SLJ: “Twitter, Texting, Enhance Writing Skills, Says Expert”
»Jacket Copy: “What Goodreads will do with its new millions”
»Collecting Children’s Books: 3 Bloggers to pen a children’s book (sans fluffy bunnies)
»PW: Interview with Hilary McKay about her upcoming sequel to A Little Princess

HAPPY READING,

Weekend Update:

Mon, 14 Dec 2009 07:00:00 -0500

»Guardian: J.G. Ballard as remembered by his daughter…
»Chicago Tribune: “No, seriously…Playboy changed the world”
»NYT: The 10 Best of 09’…
»Dr. Syntax: Discussing Prepub (realizing the impact of Kirkus)
»Book Bench: “What David Sedaris Read this Year”
»GalleyCat: “The Twittersphere Ponders Book Reviews” (context: Kirkus)

HAPPY READING,

Sunday Picks:

Sun, 13 Dec 2009 18:39:31 -0500

»Abigal Adams by Woody Holton (Free Press) Reviewed by Virginia DeJohn Anderson: “Holton, a professor of history at the University of Richmond, provides a fresh perspective that invites readers to do more than just remember this remarkable lady.”
»Interesting Times: Writings from a Turbulent Decade by George Packer (Farrar, Straus & Giroux) Reviewed by Franklin Foer: “This volume coheres better than most in the genre. That’s because Packer has a far more coherent worldview than most reporters.”
»Perfect Rigor: A Genius and the Mathematical Breakthrough of the Century by Masha Gessen (Houghton Mifflin) Reviewed by Jascha Hoffman: ” But she does provide a thorough account of the circumstances that led to Perelman’s rise in the “vicious, backstabbing little world” of Soviet mathematics and a brilliant reconstruction of the twisted logic that might have led to his mysterious exit. In so doing she has written something rare: an accessible book about an unreachable man.”

HAPPY READING,

Morning News Links:

Thu, 10 Dec 2009 10:16:24 -0500

»NPR Books: [Audio, Morning Edition] “Librarian Nancy Pearl shares her under-the-radar picks”
»GalleyCat: A little holiday cheer! Publishing’s brightest moments of 2009
»Book Beast: On the e-book delay…
»SLJ: Social networking sites might be good for young writers…
»GalleyCat: Bill Clinton’s to-read list (found this while cleaning out my bookmarks, sorry for the late post)

HAPPY READING,

News Links (12/8 and 12/9):

Wed, 09 Dec 2009 17:18:15 -0500

»Penguin: Penguin debuts new radio show “Penguin Classics on Air”
»GalleyCat: “Apple Tablet Rumor of the Day: 30/70 Split With Publishers”
»Guardian: Travel Books, the king of genres
»Schoken: Pres. O reads Elie Wiesel
»GalleyCat: “Publishing’s Darkest Moments of 2009”
»Dr. Syntax: “What e-Readers Will Never Replace”
»Guardian: The worst books of the decade

HAPPY READING,

Gift guides for one and all:

Wed, 09 Dec 2009 14:25:00 -0500

Check out these gift checklists from Knopf. Simple shopping on a whole new level.

HAPPY READING,

PS: Check back tomorrow for the ultimate guide to shopping for kiddos!

52books: Britian’s smallest library!

Wed, 09 Dec 2009 13:05:05 -0500

52books:

Britian’s smallest library!

"Grammar is a piano I play by ear. All I know about grammar is its power."

Tue, 08 Dec 2009 12:48:57 -0500

“Grammar is a piano I play by ear. All I know about grammar is its power.”

- Joan Didion (via karigee)

Monday Morning News:

Mon, 07 Dec 2009 12:13:25 -0500

»Guardian Books: “Will e-books spell the end of great writing”
»Copyblogger: “10 Surprising Books That Will Transform Your Writing”
»Publicity Hound: “Offer 30-second spots featuring ‘how to’ tips for local radio”
»WSJ Books: “Sesame Workshop Plans Children’s E-Books”
»GalleyCat: “David Foster Wallace Novel Excerpt in The New Yorker”
»Michael Hyatt: “Top 10 Posts of November”

HAPPY READING,

HAPPY WEEKEND! (via)

Fri, 04 Dec 2009 08:49:01 -0500

HAPPY WEEKEND!

(via)

Mid-week news:

Wed, 02 Dec 2009 11:21:55 -0500

Should have one foot out the door. Luckily, I have just enough time for a little copy/paste action:

»Cityroom (via Book Bench): “Dickens Edits Dickens”
»Galley Cat: “Rick Moody Story Generates Twitter Backlash”
»Conversational Reading: “More Notable Books You Son’t Find in the Times”
»Guardian Books: “No individual ‘fathered’ modern African American literature”
»NYT: “No Country for Old Typewriters: A Well Used One Heads to Auction”
»Guardian: “Cause of Jane Austen’s death not universally acknowledged”
»Galley Cat: “The future of Parenting Publishing”

HAPPY READING,

(via)

Mon, 30 Nov 2009 14:41:51 -0500

(via)

Back in Blogging Action:

Mon, 30 Nov 2009 13:01:28 -0500

After a whirlwind week of turkey, birthdays, and cooking with heavy cream, I am back and ready to blog. When I opened up my Google Reader this morning I read this number: 1,157.

…

1,157 UNREAD messages. After skimming, reading, and bookmarking up a storm here are a few from the past two days:

»The Book Bench: Books sold big on Black Friday
»Book Club Girl: Cyber Monday Book Lists
»Guardian Books: “Border’s demise is not the end of the book world”
»Nervous Breakdown: “50 Things Publishers Should NOT do”
»The Book Publicity Blog: “Things to be Thankful for”
»HuffPo Books: “Top 10 of 2009”

HAPPY READING,

"One reads books in order to gain the privilege of living more than one life. People who don’t..."

Mon, 30 Nov 2009 12:51:09 -0500

“One reads books in order to gain the privilege of living more than one life. People who don’t read are trapped in a mine shaft, even if they think the sun is shining. Most New Yorkers wouldn’t travel to Minnesota if a bright star shone in the west and hosts of angels were handing out plane tickets, but they might read a book about Minnesota and thereby form some interesting and useful impression of us. This is the benefit of literacy. Life is lonely; it is less so if one reads.”

- Garrison Keillor

((via Litwit))

this is my running list of women writers who define badass

Sun, 29 Nov 2009 22:49:17 -0500

walkwhilereading:

meaghano:

joan didion

marilynne robinson

alice munro

mary gaitskill

grace paley

anais nin

Who else?

(I don’t think Lorrie Moore is a badass, but that is certainly up for debate. I’m not even sure what I mean, but I just don’t think BADASS when I think of her.).

Runners up include: Carson McCullers, Dorothy Parker

I tend to agree with an earlier reblogger that Flannery O’Connor must be on this list. I also think Zadie Smith is pretty badass and must also be included.

thingsnstuff: (via gatekeeper)

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 22:44:26 -0500

thingsnstuff:

(via gatekeeper)