The good thing about being a book reviewer...

...is that it forces/allows you to read, a lot. The bad thing about being a book reviewer is the books are often bad. Extraordinarily bad.

Fortunately I enjoyed Primary Colors before diving into my most recent review assignments. (Next time I should plug my nose before taking the plunge!) The not-so-anonymously penned, not-quite-fictional description of an ultimately successful presidential campaign offered some wry laughs and a welcome escape from the current mess that passes for political discourse.

So - what are you reading? Whatever it is, it's gotta be better than the last thing I put down.

Back-to-School Reading Quizzes

These reading quizzes provide a fun challenge for students heading back to school, grownups bent on self-improvement, and anyone looking for a socially redeemable way to waste time on the computer. (e.g., if it's not Facebook or online gambling, it must be OK.)  Put on your thinking caps; good luck.


This one's hard!
http://www.cityu.edu.hk/elc/quiz/reading1.htm

Fun reading comprehension practice
http://www.manatee.k12.fl.us/sites/elementary/samoset/mathlabplanets.htm

Lots here, including vocabulary quizzes, for K-8th graders.
http://www.quiz-tree.com/English_smain.html

Primary panic

Don't look now but it's AUGUST. The month of back-to-school and pool closings and all that nonsense. It's also the month I promised to read Primary Colors. I haven't started yet, but I will. Soon. Trust me. Is anyone with me? Come on, the election is edging closer - and I, for one, would really like to find some more humor in the whole thing. Join me for a wry laugh?

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September 19, 2012 update ~ I'm happy I read this oldie-but-goodie title. What a game we've made of our political system! Primary Colors paints a very colorful picture of the players, aka the scorps (press),  and in particular the "snuff specialists," whose job it is/was to wait for the candidate to blow up or break down. ("Get it on tape if he breaks down...loses his temper, or cries.") Of course the press knows what the candidates find out soon enough: "Losers spin. Winners grin."

Not only did it offer some levity in an election season that sorely needs it, it also reminded me that we've survived many a foible in  the political arena before. We're likely to survive a few more. My advice: keep reading!

Summer Reading: The best-laid plans

One isn't supposed to work up a sweat reading (I guess it can happen). When the mercury's rising, though, and one has a dozen or so books due at the library tomorrow (this "one" might be hypothetical, of course) there's just no way to read fast enough. To add insult to injury, no matter how fast one flips pages, reading just doesn't pass for aerobic activity.

What to do?

It's July, dear readers. We're all a tad hot and bothered, no? Let's share our must-read lists and tips for getting through them this summer. And please, dear readers, you go first. "One" of us has to go to the library...

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WHAT'S THAT? You don't have too much to read? Well, I'm not going to give you a recommendation, what with my own books piling up around my ears. But you can take a quick quiz to find  just the right book here:
http://justtherightbook.com

Red & Blue & Color Me Jaded

Primary Colors. Remember the anonymously-penned political novel from 1996? I think its time has come, again. Join me and add your insights and point out the ironies as you re-read it or discover it for the first time. I'm starting August 1st. Hope to see you here!
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Those of you who were old enough to vote in 1996 probably remember that whole anonymity thing didn't last long for the author. After the fuss died down, however, it worked out pretty well for him. For perspective, read The Telegraph's thoughtful piece on the situation some time after Joe Klein's not-so-shocking confession from that he, indeed, wrote the book.
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You know me, I always suggest the library as your first stop for a book (except mine!) but if you want to buy it to save a few bucks and a tree, consider the Kindle version or the Random House ebook.

You're not a Twit, Veronica!

>>file under, hey, somebody reads this blog!<<

Thanks to a friend's comment in response to my post about The Twits and other "old" children's books, I've just started in on The Phantom Tollbooth. I thought my 8yo had a good vocabulary, but wow - we're both learning some new words from Norton Juster's highly imaginative novel, first published in 1961.

Thanks for the loaner copy, my friend!

So, anyone want to read along? It's sure to be a fun trip into the Land Beyond...

Twits and old friends

I've thoroughly enjoyed some "old" books so far this summer, all of which were new to me. I wonder how many parents have introduced their elementary-school age offspring to The Twits?

Almost certainly best-known for Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Roald Dahl's whole list is worth reading, and I encourage you to look beyond the titles that have made it to the big screen.

Dahl's unique take on things is at least amusing for young readers and at times quite insightful for parents reading along. The Magic Finger and The Twits are my current favorites. (The Twits, detailing worms in spaghetti and other revolting but hilarious antics of the disgusting couple, would likely appeal to many reluctant readers.)

What old books have become your new favorites to recommend this summer?

Which ones do you plan to read with your kids before they go back to school?