Ichabod Island, the setting of “My Kind of People” by Lisa Duffy, may be 13 miles from mainland Massachusetts, but the problems and issues that plague all of America have certainly made their way to this scenic island.
Author: Pamela Kramer
‘Buzz Kill’ — yes, Buzz kills
David Sosnowski’s “Buzz Kill” is a brilliant novel, a stunning demonstration that all comedy is a skewed perception of tragedy. Sosnowski also presents extraordinary evidences of several inconvenient truths: (1) The moment we’re born, we start to die; (2) We and our babies, our creations, are ourselves the deadly viruses that lead us inexorably to our own destruction; and (3) The best-laid schemes, even the innocent ones, of mice and men and machines oft go awry. Not a very happy trio of truths, but all essentially inarguable.
‘Dancing at the Pity Party: A Dead Mom Graphic Memoir’ is by graphic novelist Tyler Feder
This isn’t a beach read. It’s not a clever mystery. Rather, “Dancing at the Pity Party: A Dead Mom Graphic Memoir” by Tyler Feder is a journey through her life with her mom, who tragically died when Feder was still a teenager. In fact, her mother as just 47 years old when she died from cancer.
‘Hello, Summer’ by Mary Kay Andrews
Mary Kay Andrews loves writing books about beaches, romance, and mystery, and with “Hello, Summer,” she mixes all of the above into a sweet read about Conley Hawkins, who has left her small town and her family newspaper, the Silver Bay Beacon, to become a star journalist in Atlanta.
‘Cat Among the Pigeons: A riotous assembly of unrespectable African creatures’ by David Muirhead: Amusing and oh-so-clever tales of African wildlife
Be assured, “Cat Among the Pigeons” by David Muirhead is not a boring compilation of facts and information about the creatures in Africa, but rather an erudite and always entertaining collection of anecdotes, history, and interesting tidbits about those sometimes exotic (wildebeest), sometimes not (wasp), animals.
‘Big Summer’ by Jennifer Weiner – take a fabulous trip to the beach
Jennifer Weiner never fails to grab readers with main characters who are entirely relatable, and who — in spite of many admirable qualities — usually have many of the same foibles that the rest of us suffer from. In “Big Summer,” main character Daphne Berg is an up-and-coming social media influencer. Her hashtags include #sorrynotsorry and #justasIam and her blog’s name is Big Time. Daphne is not slender, and during her whole life, she has been ashamed of her weight and her body.
Pandemic-perfect picture books Part Five: Nonfiction (mostly) picture books
Some of these picture books are completely nonfiction while others skirt the line between fiction and nonfiction. I’ve included a few that are really fiction but that include enough nonfiction information that I think they impart content that merits inclusion in this collection. I hope you enjoy reading about these and share a few with your favorite young reader!
Pandemic-perfect picture books Part Four: Books about feelings and self-care
Being at home during the pandemic is difficult for adults, and for many children, it’s a confusing time. They aren’t going to preschool or school, they aren’t seeing their friends, they aren’t getting to go to the playground to expend energy. And some may not understand why. These picture books will address a range of needs from acting out, feeling inadequate, and making a mistake, to enjoying this new slowed-down life. Some will teach important lessons and others will just be enjoyed as lovely, clever reads.
Pandemic-perfect picture books Part Three: Four “beary” adorable books
Who doesn’t love books about bears? Especially picture books about helpful bears, bears who chase away bullies, bears who teach uptight lemmings how to enjoy life, and bears who have stage fright. These four sweet stories will probably become favorites at bedtime.
Pandemic-perfect picture books Part Two: We’ve gone to the dogs
As many have discovered during this pandemic, adopting or fostering a dog (or cat) is a lovely way to have a furry, loving companion who gives nothing but love (and fur). There’s nothing quite like an animal’s unconditional love. Here are some reading choices that will share some training tips you may (or may not) want to take note of, as well as some doggy quirks (like digging in dirt), and two picture books about dogs and reading.
Pandemic-perfect picture books Part One: Books to make you laugh
Reading is a lovely way to escape reality, and reading picture books to children of almost any age will surely amuse them. Here are some new and not-quite-so-new choices to cheer up the housebound group.
‘This Terrible Beauty’ by Katrin Schumann is a gripping historical fiction
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In “This Terrible Beauty,” author Katrin Schumann manages to grab our attention from the first page where the main character, Bettina, fingers the eight beads which rest on the strap of her camera, one for each year of her child’s life — a child she was forced to give up when she left Germany.
