Why the Mean Mom loves Skeleton Creek

I’m such a mean mom, making my kids read during the summer.  At least that’s what my 10 year old says.  ”It’s not fair!,” she says.  ”We’re on vacaaaaaaaaaaaation!”    I tell her I’d love to have nothing better to do but read all day.  I’d love to have a self cleaning house, self-raising children, [...]

Review: The Red Tent by Anita Diamant

The Red Tent by Anita Diamant is a fictional interpretation of a biblical family. Narrated by Dinah, the only daughter of Jacob and sister to his 12 sons, whose life is barely mentioned in the Book of Genesis, it is rich in stories and characters. Vividly bringing the ancient world to life, The Red Tent [...]

Wondrous Words Wednesday

Wondrous Words Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Kathy at Bermudaonion’s Weblog where we share new (to us) words that we’ve encountered in our reading.  Feel free to join in the fun.  (Don’t forget to leave a link in your comment if you’re participating.) ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ This is my first time doing Kathy’s Wondrous Words meme.  These [...]

Teaser Tuesdays: July 28, 2009

Miz B and Teaser Tuesdays asks you to: Grab your current read. Let the book fall open to a random page. Share with us two (2) sentences from that page, somewhere between lines 7 and 12. You also need to share the title of the book that you’re getting your “teaser” from … that way people [...]

Review: All We Ever Wanted Was Everything by Janelle Brown

Janelle Brown’s debut novel, All We Ever Wanted Was Everything, is a satire and social commentary on the super rich Silicon Valley lifestyle.   After a stratospheric IPO makes him one of the wealthiest men in the area, Janice’s husband leaves her for her best friend and tennis partner, attempting to cut her out of his [...]

Blog Neglect and Reviews

Due to the lure of summer and the demands of work and children, I’ve been neglecting my blog.  I’m down from 3-5 posts per week to 1-2.  It’s not that I have less to say, only that I have less time to say it.   But I have been reading!  I read during the kids’ [...]

Review: The Opposite of Love by Julie Buxbaum

 Julie Buxbaum’s terrific debut novel, The Opposite of Love,  is about 29 year old Manhattan attorney Emily Haxby.  The story begins as Emily breaks up with Andrew, her boyfriend of two years with whom she’s had a happy, comfortable, passionate relationship, just as he seems to be on the verge of proposing marriage.   No one understands this; [...]

Teaser Tuesdays: July 14, 2009

Miz B and Teaser Tuesdays asks you to: Grab your current read. Let the book fall open to a random page. Share with us two (2) sentences from that page, somewhere between lines 7 and 12. You also need to share the title of the book that you’re getting your “teaser” from … that way people [...]

A Mom’s Guilty Secret: I Don’t Miss My Daughter

It’s confession time.  My 11 year old daughter’s been at camp, 100 miles away, for nearly a week, and I DON’T MISS HER.  Well, maybe I should rephrase that.  I miss HER.  But I don’t miss the drama she creates on a daily basis.  I don’t miss the way she fights with her sister.  I [...]

Review: Moose: A Memoir of Fat Camp by Stephanie Klein

As I prepared to ship my daughter off to sleep-away camp, I thought it would be fun to read Moose: A Memoir of Fat Camp by Stephanie Klein, a memoir of the author’s childhood summers at a fat camp in the 80’s.  It wasn’t exactly what I expected. The book opens as a grown up [...]